m 


LIBRARY  OF 

Dr.RoLcrtM.Roljcrts 


C-|^VX 


fc,  ( 


THE  LIFE 

^ 


OF 


JOHK  WARREN,  M.D., 

SURGEON-GENERAL  DURING  THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION;    FIRST  PROFESSOR 

OF  ANATOMY   AND    SURGERY  IN  HARVARD   COLLEGE;    PRESIDENT   OF 

THE   MASSACHUSETTS   MEDICAL   SOCIETY,    ETC. 


EDWARD   WARREN,   M.  D., 

AUTHOR  OF   THE   "LIFE  OF   DR.   JOHN   C.   WARREN." 


"JEternitati  pinyo." 

Page  37. 


BOSTON: 
NOTES,   HOLMES,   AND  COMPANY, 

1874. 


-  us 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1873,  by 

EDWARD  WARREN, 
In  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


RIVERSIDE,  CAMBRIDGE: 
FEINTED  BY  H.  0.  HOUGHTON  AND  COMPANY. 


To 
MY  VERY  DEAR  AND  HIGHLY  ESTEEMED  FRIEND, 

REV.  ANDREW  P.   PEABODY,  D.  D. 
®l)is  ittemoir 

OF   ONE  WHO  WAS,  LIKE  HIMSELF, 

"  NOT  SLOTHFUL  IN  BUSINESS,  FERVENT  IN  SPIRIT,  SERVING  THE  LORD," 
IS  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


INTRODUCTION. 


following  Memoir  was  commenced  over 
thirteen  years  ago,  and  was  suspended  and 
laid  by  on  the  breaking  out  of  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion,  the  intense  interests  which  arose  at  that 
time  taking  the  place  of  all  other  subjects. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  active  life  of  Dr.  John 
Warren  began  with  the  breaking  out  of  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  It  was  intimately  connected  with 
that  war,  and  the  public  events  succeeding  it,  to 
the  War  of  1812 ;  and  his  activity  and  his  life  ter- 
minated together  on  the  celebration  of  the  Peace 
of  1815.  It  was  not  a  long  life,  but  it  was  crowded 
with  events.  His  biography  is,  or  ought  to  be,  a 
sketch  of  the  political  history,  as  well  as  the  man- 
ners of  his  time ;  while,  taken  in  connection  with 
the  life  of  his  son,  John  C.  Warren,  published  in 
1860,  it  should  form  a  complete  history  of  the  rise 
and  progress  of  medical  institutions  in  Massachu- 
setts, and  of  the  practice  of  medicine  and  surgery 
in  this  place,  for  a  period  of  nearly  one  hundred 
years. 

A  large  portion  of  the  Memoir  was  written  with 


vi  INTRODUCTION. 

the  intention  of  printing  it  only  for  private  dis- 
tribution, which  must  account  for  its  being  written 
with  more  freedom,  and  perhaps  for  the  introduc- 
tion of  some  particulars  which  otherwise  should 
not  have  met  the  public  eye. 

But  biography  becomes  more  interesting  and 
more  instructive  the  more  it  can  get  into  the  de- 
tails of  private  life,  and  gives  relations  of  facts  and 
peculiarities  which  sometimes  their  subject  would 
willingly  have  concealed. 

After  the  publication,  some  years  since,  of  a  very 
excellent  and  well  written  biography,  some  writer 
took  pains  to  inform  the  public  how  many  times 
the  words  "my  father"  were  introduced  in  the 
volume.  If  I  have  used  it  as  frequently,  I  offer 
no  other  apology  than  that  now  given.  I  think 
it  requires  none. 

Dr.  Warren  had  not  leisure  for  any  literary  work 
of  length.  The  circumstances  of  his  time  were  not 
favorable  to  literature.  I  have  given  full  quota- 
tions from  his  "  Mercurial  Practice  in  Febrile  Dis- 
eases," because  they  afford  almost  a  perfect  history 
of  the  diseases  of  his  time.  In  regard  to  treatment, 
it  is  perhaps  only  valuable  as  history ;  but  there 
are  not  much  greater  changes  in  the  management 
of  diseases  than  there  are  in  the  diseases  them- 
selves, and  even  in  the  constitutions  of  those  who 
are  the  subjects  of  them.  There  are  "  currents  and 


INTRODUCTION.  Vll 

counter-currents "  in  medicine,  and  perhaps  old 
methods  may  again  have  their  day. 

"  The  work  alluded  to,"  says  one  of  his  biogra- 
phers,1 "  is  perhaps  the  most  concise  and  extended 
examination  into  the  influence  which  this  powerful 
remedy  has  upon  many  of  those  diseases  with 
which  we  have  most  frequently  to  deal,  and  is  a 
resume  of  the  knowledge  and  experience  of  the 
period." 

Mercury  is  so  powerful  a  medicine  that  it  will 
always  be  resorted  to,  in  some  of  its  various  forms, 
secretly  or  openly,  in  despite  of  all  arguments  or 
prejudices  against  its  use.  Whatever,  therefore, 
throws  light  upon  its  modus  operandi,  is  of  value. 

I  have  republished  his  Masonic  Charge  in  the  ap- 
pendix, because  it  is  an  example  of  his  manner  of 
addressing  a  mixed  audience  of  ladies  and  gentle- 
men, and  as  it  gives  his  views  of  an  institution, 
which  for  a  time  submerged  in  a  weight  of  obloquy, 
seems  now  to  be  rising  once  more  into  eminence. 
That  both  he  and  his  brother,  General  Joseph 
Warren,  were  Grand  Masters,  seems  to  render  the 
republication  the  more  fitting.  His  Fourth  of  July 
Oration,  the  first  ever  delivered,  is  also  given  ;  for 
it  may  be  curious  to  compare  one  delivered  in 
1783  with  one  of  recent  date.  The  warnings  and 
admonitions  are  at  least  as  applicable  now  as  they 
were  at  the  former  period. 

1  Dr.  Buckminster  Brown.     Gross's  American  Medical  Biography. 


Vlll  INTRODUCTION. 

"  The  personal  appearance  of  Dr.  Warren  was 
most  prepossessing.  He  was  of  about  middling 
stature,  and  well  formed ;  his  deportment  was 
agreeable,  his  manners,  formed  in  a  military  school, 
and  polished  by  intercourse  with  the  officers  of  the 
French  army,  were  those  of  an  accomplished  gen- 
tleman. An  elevated  forehead,  black  eyes,  aquiline 
nose,  and  hair  turned  off  from  his  forehead,  gave 
him  an  air  of  dignity  which  becomes  a  person  of 
his  profession  and  character."  l 

In  conclusion,  while  some  medical  details  were 
necessary  to  the  subject,  I  hope  they  will  not  be 
found  sufficient  to  deter  the  general  reader,  or  to 
render  the  work  uninteresting  to  those  who  do  not 
care  for  medical  details. 

1  Thacher's  Medical  Biography. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I.     1753-1763. 

BIRTH   AND   PARENTAGE. 

Birth.  —  His  Father,  Joseph  Warren :  killed  by  a  Fall  from  an 
Apple-tree,  in  1 755.  —  His  Mother,  Mrs.  Mary  Warren.  —  Her 
Letter.  —  Children  of  General  Warren  undergoing  the  Small- 
pox. —  Brothers  Samuel,  Joseph,  and  Ebenezer  .  .  1 

CHAPTER  II.     1763-1774. 
EDUCATION. 

Education  at  the  Roxbury  Grammar  School.  —  Rev.  Samuel 
Elliot.  —  Enters  College.  —  Classmates.  —  Acquires  a  strong 
Love  for  the  Study  of  Anatomy.  —  Medical  Education  .  11 

CHAPTER  IH.     1774-1775. 

TEA  THROWN  OVERBOARD. 

John  Warren's  Medical  Qualifications.  —  General  Warren's 
Medical  Practice;  —  His  Success  in  Treatment  of  Small-pox. 

—  Partnership  in  a  Small-pox  Hospital  with  an  English  Sur- 
geon. —  His  whereabouts  on  the  Night  and  Morning  of  June 
16,  17.  —  Dr.  Norwood's  Letter.  —  Mr.  Eustis'  Letter.  —  Tea 
thrown  Overboard.  —  Dr.   Tyler's  Letters.  —  John  Warren's 
Letter  to  Joseph.  —  Fear  of  incurring  Debt.  —  Joseph's  An- 
swer          20 

CHAPTER  IV.     1775. 

BATTLES  OF  LEXINGTON  AND  BUNKER  HILL. 

The  Three  Brothers  at  Lexington.  —  Narrow  Escape  of  Joseph. 

—  John  Warren  Surgeon  of  Colonel  Pickering's  Regiment.  — 
Journal.  —  His  Brother  Missing.  —  His  Search  and  Inquiries. 

—  Wounded  in  endeavoring  to  pass  a  Sentinel.  —  Confused 
Reports  of  the  Battle.  —  Some  Days  before  General  Warren's 
Death  is   ascertained. — Journal.  —  Indignation  against  the 
British  Ministry.  —  Appointed  Hospital  Surgeon.  —  Arrival 


X  CONTENTS. 

of  Washington  at  Camp.  —  Dr.  Church.  —  Letter  to  Miss 
Grafton.  —  Letter  to  John  Hancock.  —  Extracts  from  Jour- 
nal   43 

CHAPTER  V. 

JOURNAL. —  JANUARY,    1776. 

Journal  continued.  —  Visit  to  Salem.  —  Miss  Grafton's  Note.  — 
Strict  Medical  Examinations.  —  Dr.  Hayward's  Letter.  —  Dr. 
Morgan's  Letter  about  Purchases.  —  Miss  Grafton's  Letter.  — 
Journal  continued.  —  John  Warren's  Deposition  about  Pois- 
oned Medicine.  —  Feelings  at  Sight  of  the  Battle-ground.  — 
Journal  resumed  and  ended.  —  Washington  detaches  a  Regi- 
ment to  New  York.  —  John  Warren  sets  out  for  New  York, 
May  11.  —  Dysentery  among  the  Troops  at  New  York. — 
Plot  formed  by  the  Tories.  —  Miss  Grafton's  Letter  .  .  64 

CHAPTER  VI. 

DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

Declaration  of  Independence.  —  Small-pox.  —  General  Inocula- 
tion. —  Inoculation  of  General  Warren's  Children.  —  Eben 
Warren's  Letter. — Mrs.  Eben  Warren's  do.  —  Arnold,  a 
Friend  of  General  Warren  and  his  Children.  —  Miss  Scollay. 
—  Provision  for  the  Children.  —  Samuel  Adams.  —  Mrs. 
Mercy  Warren.  —  Letter  from  Mr.  Grafton  .  .  .  .83 

CHAPTER  VII.     1776-1777. 

PROGRESS    OF    THE    WAR.  —  MEDICAL    OFFICERS. 

Letter  from  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Letter  from  Major  Giles.  —  Orders 
from  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Samuel  Glover's  Letter.  —  Dissatisfac- 
tion with  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Dr.  Craigie's  Letter.  —  Mr.  Lovell's 
Letter.  —  Prevailing  Dissatisfaction  with  Washington's  Fabian 
Policy.  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Craigie.  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Morgan 
on  Applications  for  Leave  to  attend  Lectures.  —  Letter  from 
Dr.  Eustis.  —  Retreat  of  the  Army  through  New  Jersey.  — 
Garnall's  Letter  from  New  Brunswick.  —  Dr.  Warren  applies 
for  Office  of  Sub-director.  —  General  Lee's  Discontent.  — 
His  Capture  .  .  . 109 

CHAPTER  VIII.     1777. 

WASHINGTON    DICTATOR. 

Retreat  to  New  Brunswick.  —  Cornelius  Baldwin's  Letter.  —  Dr. 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Warren  at  Hanover.  —  Dr.  Foster's  Letter.  —  General  Hospi- 
tal removed  to  Bethlehem.  —  Removal  of  Dr.  Morgan.  — 
Honorable  Acquittal  from  all  Charges.  —  General  Greene's 
Recommendation  of  Dr.  Warren  for  Sub-directorship.  — Dr. 
Morgan's  Order.  —  Dr.  Cochran. — Washington  Dictator. — 

o  o 

Bold  Movement  of  Washington.  —  Narrow  Escape  of  the 
Surgeons,  who  were  not  warned.  —  Letter  to  General  Wash- 
ington. —  Washington's  Answer.  —  Doctors, Morgan  and  Ship- 
pen.  —  Answer  to  Charge  against  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Queer  Letter 
by  Dr.  Eustis.  —  Dr.  Warren.  —  Misses  Searles  .  .  .133 

CHAPTER  IX.     1777. 

EVENTS    OF    THE    WAR. 

Washington  and  Howe  facing  each  other.  —  Ticonderoga  men- 
aced. —  Letter  from  T.  J.  Games.  —  Engagement,  June  24.  — 
Dissensions  at  Ticonderoga.  —  Gates  and  Schuyler.  —  Capture 
of  Mt.  Defiance.  —  Letter  from  Major  Giles.  —  General  St. 
Clair.  —  Miss  A — y  Col — ns.  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Samuel 
Adams.  —  Death  of  Dr.  Adams,  January,  1778. —  Colonel 
Mifflin's  Family.  —  Mrs.  Mifflin.  —  Miss  Collins.  —  Surrender 
of  Burgoyne,  October  17 152 

CHAPTER  X.     1777-1778. 

MARRIAGE. 

Marriage,  November  4.  —  Residence  Corner  of  Avon  Place.  — 
Res  Angustae  Domi.  —  Dr.  Cutting's  Letter  from  Bethlehem. 

—  Dr.  Craigie's  Letter.  —  Hospital  for  Small-pox. — Partner- 
ship    for     Inoculation.  —  Articles    of    Agreement.  —  Valley 
Forge.  —  Cupidity   of    Army  Contractors.  —  Gates'    Discon- 
tent  at  Washington's    Caution.  —  Alliance   with   France.  — 
Arrival  of  French  Fleet.  —  Encounter  with  Keppell.  —  Dis- 
appointment. —  General  Greene.  —  Lafayette.  —  Dr.  Warren 
goes  with  the   Volunteers.  —  French  Fleet   dispersed  by  a 
Storm.  —  Birth  of  J.  C.  Warren,  August  1,  1778.  —  Dr.  War- 
ren's Letters  from  Rhode  Island.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Collins. 

—  Letter  from  Dr.  Eustis.  —  Dr.  Shippen.  —  Dr.  Warren  re- 
turns to  Boston.  —  Foreigners. —  Latin.  —  Major  Baury.  —  A 
Sleigh-ride .168 

CHAPTER  XL     1778-1780. 

Deplorable  State  of  Finances. — Prices. —  Destitution  at  the 
Hospital.  —  Letter  to  Samuel  Adams.  —  Loss  of  a  Daughter 


xii  CONTENTS. 

born  in  July.  —  Threatening  Petition  to  Congress.  —  Dr. 
Townsend's  Letter.  —  Reply  to  Petitions.  —  Petition  to  Mas- 
sachusetts Legislature.  —  Letter  to  T.  Pickering. —  Sermon 
to  the  Soldiers.  —  Communication  for  the  Press.  —  Dark  Day. 
Convention  for  a  State  Constitution 193 

CHAPTER  Xn.     1780. 

TREASON    OF    ARNOLD. 

Dr.  Eustis'  Letter.  —  Secret  Expedition.  —  Colonel  Nevcrs'  Let- 
ter. —  Boston  Medical  Society.  —  Dr.  Rand,  Dr.  Danforth,  Dr. 
Kast,  and  Dr.  Warren.  —  Dr.  Bulfinch.  —  Scrabble  for  Levi 

'  Ames'  Body.  —  Resuscitation  of  a  Convict.  —  Violation  of 
the  Grave.  —  Washington's  Order 218 

CHAPTER  XIII.     1780-1781. 

AMERICAN    ACADEMY. 

Dr.  Warren  chosen  a  Member. —  His  Paper.  —  Dr.  Warren  re- 
quested to  Lecture.  —  Lectures  at  the  Hospital.  —  Amputation 
at  the  Shoulder-joint.  —  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  incor- 
porated. —  Surrender  of  Cornwallis.  —  Plan  fora  Medical  In- 
stitution. —  Correspondence  on  this  Subject.  —  Elected  Pro- 
fessor of  Anatomy.  —  Dr.  Dexter,  Dr.  Warren,  Dr.  Water- 
house.  —  Thomas  Lee  Shippen.  —  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety   239 

CHAPTER  XIV.     1782. 

FREEMASONRY.  —  DR.  WARREN    GRAND    MASTER. 

Freemasons.  —  Dr.  Warren  Grand  Master.  —  Charge.  —  Treaty 

of  Peace. —  Society  of  Cincinnati.  —  Samuel  Adams'  Opinion  261 

i 

CHAPTER   XV.     1782-1783. 
SHAYS'  REBELLION. 

Peace,  Troubles,  Lawsuits.  —  Pure  Democracy.  —  Extract  from 
Dr.  J.  C.  Warren's  Speech.  —  Riots  at  Northampton.  —  Eli 
Shays.  —  Fourth  of  July  Oration,  1 783.  —  English  Feeling  .  270 

CHAPTER  XVI.     1783-1784. 

PROGRESS    OF    THE    MEDICAL    INSTITUTION. 

Medical  Institution.  —  Lectures.  —  Difficulties  with  the  Medical 
Society.  —  Application  to  admit  Students  to  the  Alms  house. 
—  Remonstrances  of  the  Society.  —  "  Extraordinary  Resolu- 
tions." —  John  Warren's  Memorial  to  the  Legislature  .  284 


CONTENTS.  Xlll 

CHAPTER  XVII.     1784-1785. 

ADDRESS    ON    RESIGNATION   OP    HANCOCK. 

Difficulties  between  the  Medical  College  and  the  Medical  Soci- 
ety. —  Hancock's  Resignation.  —  Election  of  Governor  .  297 

CHAPTER  XVIII.     1785-1789. 

DOMESTIC    LIFE. 

Domestic  Life.  —  House,  Carriages,  Furniture.  —  Drying  Speci- 
mens in  the  Windows.  —  Warren  Museum.  —  Supposed  Dan- 
gerous Well.  —  Louis  the  Barber.  —  Mountain  his  Successor. 
—  Slavery.  —  Cuff  and  Quaco.  —  Negro  Melodies  .  .  303 

CHAPTER  XIX.     1787-1789. 

CONVENTION    FOE   RATIFYING    THE    CONSTITUTION. 

Convention  for  Ratifying  the  United  States  Constitution.  — 
Communication  to  the  Press. — Mr.  Hancock's  Billet. — 
Samuel  Adams,  Governor.  —  Washington's  Visit  to  Boston  .  325 

CHAPTER  XX.     1789-1793. 

FRENCH  REVOLUTION.  —  METALLIC  TRACTORS. 

Destruction  of  the  Bastile.  —  Massacre  of  September.  —  Re- 
publican Extremes.  —  Proclamation  of  Neutrality.  —  Oppo- 
sition to  Washington.  —  Recall  of  Genet,  the  French  Min- 
ister.—  Metallic  Tractors.  —  Is  Honesty  the  best  Policy?  — 
Cures  by  the  Tractors.  —  Death  of  Dr.  Perkins.  —  Small-pox  .  336 

CHAPTER  XXI.     1793-1794. 

YELLOW   FEVER    IN   PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  Warren's  Letter. to  the  Medical  Fraternity.  —  Speech  on 
Retaliatory  Resolutions  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .351 

CHAPTER  XXII.     1794-1798. 

DEBATES  ON  JAY'S  TREATY. 

Complaints  against  England.  —  Speech  on  Jay's  Treaty.  — 
Eulogy  on  Thomas  Russell  .  .  .  .  .  .  .364 

CHAPTER  XXIII.     1798-1799. 

AFFAIRS    WITH   FRANCE. 

Reception  of  the  Treaty.  —  Exorbitant  Demands.  —  Resistance. 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

—  Address  to  the  President.  —  Communication  to  the  Press. 

—  Washington  called  to  the  Command.  —  Naval  Victory.  — 
Interest  in   Public  Affairs.  —  Death  of  Washington.  —  Uni- 
versal Regret.  —  Lull  of  Party  Feeling          .         .         .         .380 

CHAPTER  XXIV.     1798-1802. 

YELLOW   FEVER   AGAIN   IN    PHILADELPHIA. 

Mill tary  Preparations  checked.  —  Letter  on  the  Fever  in  Bos- 
ton. —  Vaccination 392 

CHAPTER   XXV.     1799-1802. 

DOMESTIC   AFFAIRS. 

New  Session  of  Congress.  —  Troubles  always  Gregarious.  —  Do- 
mestic Affairs.  —  Farm  at  Jamaica  Plain.  —  Mineral  Spring 
in  Boston.  —  Monsieur  Feron's  Letter.  —  Yellow  Fever  in 
1802 407 

CHAPTER  XXVI.     1802-1812. 

RELATIONS  WITH  ENGLAND  AND  FRANCE. 

Burr's  Duel  with  Hamilton.  —  Burr's  Conspiracy.  —  Total 
Eclipse  in  1806.  —  Austin  and  Selfridge. —  Speech  against 
the  Embargo.  —  Repeal  of  the  Embargo  Act.  —  Elbridge 
Gerry,  Governor.  —  Gerrymander.  —  Election  of  Caleb  Strong. 

—  Adjunct  Professors  in  the  Medical  School.  — Medical  Lec- 
tures in  Boston 422 

CHAPTER  XXVII.     1810-1812. 

RELIGIOUS    VIEWS. 

Death  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Buckminster.  —  Bishop  Cheverus.  —  In- 
stance of  Impulsiveness.  —  Almost  a  Duel.  —  A  Medical  In- 
cident. —  A  Romance.  —  Spontaneous  Generation.  —  Perpet- 
ual Motion 440 

CHAPTER  XXVIII.     1812. 

WAR   WITH   ENGLAND. 

Affairs  of  John  Henry.  —  Declaration  of  War.  —  Hull's  Ex- 
pedition. —  Hull's  Surrender.  —  Baltimore  Mob.  —  Chesa- 
peake and  Shannon.  —  Capture  of  the  Guerriere  by  Captain 
Hull  .  460 


CONTENTS.  XV 

CHAPTER  XXIX.     1813. 

TREATISE   ON   MERCURIAL   PRACTICE. 

Diseases  of  New  England.  —  Angina  Maligna,  Diphtheria. — 
Small-pox.  —  Measles.  —  Throat  Distemper.  —  Consumption. 

—  Dysentery.  —  Spotted  Fever.  —  Spinal  Meningitis     .         .473 

CHAPTER   XXX.     1813-1814. 

EVENTS  OF  THE  WAR  CONTINUED. 

Holocaust  of  Horses.  —  Abdication  of  Napoleon.  —  Veteran 
Troops  sent  to  America.  —  Arrival  of  the  British  Fleet. — 
March  toward  the  Capital.  —  Battle  of  Bladensburg.  —  Cap- 
ture of  Washington 490 

'  CHAPTER  XXXI. 

THREATENED   INVASION  OF   BOSTON. 

Preparations  for  Defence.  —  Boston  Streets  deserted.  —  Fears 
of  Invasion. —  Letter  from,  Mrs.  Warren.  —  Alarm  at  Ports- 
mouth. —  Terms  of  Peace.  —  Hartford  Convention.  —  Peace. 

—  Rejoicings   in   Boston.  —  Illuminations.  —  Attendance   on 
Governor  Brooks.  —  Summoned   to  his  Brother  at  Foxbor- 
ough.  —  Last  Illness.  —  Funeral.  —  Character.  —  Conclusion  .  497 

APPENDIX. 

A  Charge  delivered  on  the  Festival  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
1782  .  .  • 521 

An  Oration,  delivered  July  4,  1 783 530 

NOTES  .  554 


LIFE  OF  DR.  JOHN  WARREN. 
CHAPTER  I. 

1753-1763. 
BIRTH  AND  PARENTAGE. 

Birth.  —  His  Father,  Joseph  Warren  :  killed  by  a  Fall  from  an  Apple- 
tree,  in  1 755.  —  His  Mother,  Mrs.  Mary  Warren.  —  Her  Letter.  — 
Children  of  General  Warren  undergoing  the  Small-pox.  —  Broth- 
ers Samuel,  Joseph,  and  Ebenezer. 

.  JOHN  WARREN  was  born  on  the  twenty- 
seventh  of  July,  1753. 

His  father,  Joseph  Warren,  was  a  farmer  in  Rox- 
bury,  in  easy  circumstances,  such  as  were  at  the 
time  considered  opulent.  He  was  a  man  of  excel- 
lent character,  highly  respected  as  honest,  upright, 
and  faithful,  and  a  serious  and  exemplary  Chris- 
tian. 

Whatever  may  have  been  his  early  advantages 
of  education,  which  were  probably  not  great,  he 
had  acquired  an  extensive  knowledge  of  history, 
and  an  intimate  knowledge  of  human  nature.  The 
sincere  piety  of  both  himself  and  his  wife  were 
liberalized  by  research  and  refined  culture. 

Their  principles  were  Calvinistic,  and  in  the 
strong  hatred  of  oppression  which  Joseph  Warren 


2  LIFE    OF    DR.  JOHN    WARREN.  [1753. 

manifested  and  inculcated  in  his  children,  we  rec- 
ognize the  descendant  of  the  Pilgrims.  He  studied 
the  Scriptures  with  great  zeal,  and  impressed  upon 
his  children  a  deep  love  and  veneration  for  the 
Bible. 

Second  only  to  this  was  a  love  of  country.  It 
was  not  difficult,  even  then,  for  the  quiet  student  of 
history,  and  the  deep  thinker,  to  see  in  the  distance 
the  clouds  which  menaced  the  horizon,  and  might 
soon  overshadow  the  country.  He  doubtless  dis- 
cerned the  first  germs  of  oppression  which  were 
almost  coexistent  with  the  settlement  of  the  Colo- 
nies, and  which  we  shall  find  distinctly  described 
by  the  subject  of  this  memoir  in  the  first  Fourth  of 
July  oration,  delivered  by  him  in  1783. 

Before  the  French  War,  disputes  with  Govern- 
ment had  arisen,  and  by  the  end  of  that  war  had 
greatly  multiplied.  The  colonists  considered  that 
they  fought  the  battles  of  their  mother  country, 
who  controlled  their  trade  for  her  own  profit,  and 
reaped  the  advantage  of  their  losses  by  the  injury 
done  to  her  hereditary  enemy. 

The  mother  country,  on  the  other  hand,  could 
only  look  at  the  expense  incurred  by  the  demands 
made  upon  her  to  protect  her  colonists.  It  was 
not  difficult  for  the  shrewd  and  well-informed  pa- 
triot to  foresee  the  ominous  consequences  that  must 
ensue,  unless  the  people  of  New  England  watched 
with  wary  eye  over  that  liberty,  for  the  sake  of 
which  they  had  left  their  native  land. 

Upon  one  occasion,  it  is  stated,  turning  his  eye 
upon  his  eldest  son,  Joseph,  he  said,  "I  would 


1753.]  PARENTS.  6 

rather  a  son  of  mine  were  dead,  than  a  coward." 
This  sentiment  was  never  forgotten.  It  sank  deep 
into  the  mind  of  the  hearer,  and  was  almost  ren- 
dered prophetic  when,  many  years  after,  on  the 
eve  of  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  his  friends  at- 
tempted to  dissuade  him  from  going  to  what  they 
considered  certain  death,  and  a  premature  sacrifice 
of  the  powers  and  influence  his  country  so  much 
needed.  "  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori," 
was  his  well-known  reply. 

The  same  spirit  was  infused  into  his  youngest 
son,  John.  It  was  evinced  in  his  whole  life  ;  and 
in  enforcing  it  in  the  oration  delivered  in  1783,  al- 
ready alluded  to,  he  spoke  only  the  feelings  of  his 
own  heart ;  he  enforced  only  his  own  spirit  of  ac- 
tion. It  is  true,  as  we  shall  find  in  the  coming 
pages,  John  Warren  always  lived  in  his  busy,  ear- 
nest life,  too  much  out  of  himself  ever  to  be  aware 
of  personal  danger. 

The  estate  occupied  by  my  grandfather  appears 
to  have  consisted  of  a  cottage  house,  with  seven 
acres  of  land,  described  as  formerly  belonging  to 
Levin  and  Smith.  The  house  was  built  by  his  fa- 
ther, who  removed  from  Boston  in  1720,  and  mar- 
ried Deborah  Williams,  the  sister  of  the  Rev.  John 
Williams,  who  was  taken  captive  by  the  Indians,  in 
Deerfield ;  a  person  whose  history  is  well  known, 
and  has  been  rendered  even  more  famous  by  the 
claims  of  a  supposed  descendant,  to  be  Louis  XVII. 
of  France. 

As  a  thriving  farmer,  Joseph  Warren  added 
gradually  to  his  real  estate  by  purchasing  land  in 


4  LIFE    OF    DR.  JOHN    WARREN.  [1755. 

different  places,  until  he  had  acquired  about  fifty 
additional  acres,  the  whole  of  which  were  appraised 
in  1765,  at  £1,050  13*.  4e7. 

The  homestead  farm  he  improved  by  the  culti- 
vation of  valuable  fruit  trees,  and  introduced  the 
apple  first  known  by  his  name,  but  afterwards 
as  the  Roxbury  Russeting,  or,  in  other  States, 
as  the  Boston  Russeting,  a  fine  apple,  keeping  late 
in  the  spring,  but  which  seems  now  to  have 
essentially  deteriorated. 

In  the  appraisal  above  mentioned,  the  home- 
stead farm  is  valued  at  £292  of  the  common  cur- 
rency of  the  period.  During  the  Revolutionary 
War,  these  trees  were  mostly  cut  down  for  military 
purposes  ;  a  very  serious  loss  to  Mrs.  Warren,  who 
depended  very  much  upon  their  produce  for  her 
support.  Her  husband  was  killed  by  a  fall  from 
an  apple-tree  in  October,  1755,  and  thus  may  be 
said  to  have  died  in  his  vocation. 

At  this  period  John,  the  youngest  of  the  four 
sons,  was  only  two  years  and  three  months  old. 
The  sight  of  his  father's  body  borne  home  to  the 
house,  made  an  impression  upon  his  mind  at  this 
early  age  which  was  never  effaced. 

Thus  was  he  bereft  in  infancy  of  that  parent 
whose  influence  and  guidance,  though  not  so 
strongly  needed  or  felt  in  early  childhood,  in- 
creases so  greatly  in  importance  as  that  age  is 
passed,  and  the  child  goes  on  from  youth  to  man- 
hood. Happy  indeed  is  the  youth  who  has  the 
paternal  hand  still  held  out  for  his  grasp  till  he 
arrives  at  maturity ;  happy,  especially,  if  he  can 


1755.]  LETTER   FROM    HIS   MOTHER.  5 

fully  appreciate  the  blessing  he  enjoys ;  if  reason 
and  reflection,  as  well  as  affection,  lead  him  to  find 
in  his  father  the  guide,  sympathizer,  and  friend. 

John  Warren  had  not  this  happiness.  He  had, 
however,  an  excellent  mother.  She  possessed,  it 
is  true,  few  of  the  advantages  of  early  education ; 
but  was  naturally  of  a  strong  mind,  firm  in  relig 
ions  faith,  and  stern  and  unyielding  in  her  sense 
of  duty.  Yet  she  was  charitable  to  her  neighbors, 
benevolent  to  the  poor,  and  hospitable  with  the 
hospitality  of  former  days.  She  was  kind-hearted 
to  children,  and  her  elder  grandchildren  always  re- 
ferred with  delight  to  their  visits  at  her  house,  es- 
pecially on  the  annual  Thanksgiving,  when  she 
devoted  herself  to  their  enjoyment. 

Until  she  was  eighty  years  old,  she  always  pre- 
pared the  dishes  for  her  table  for  these  festivals, 
with  her  own  hands ;  and  was  not  satisfied  after 
her  guests  had  done  full  honor  to  her  good  cheer, 
unless  she  could  load  them  with  dainties  to  carry 
away. 

It  may  not  be  amiss  to  give  here  a  letter  writ 
ten  to  her  son  John  at  a  later  period.     It  bears 
the  marks  of  one  unused  to  writing ;  but  shows, 
nevertheless,  her  strength  of  character  and  relig- 
ious principles.     It  is  dated  August  6,  1776  :  — 

"DEAR  CHILD, — This  cornes  to  let  you  know  I 
am  well,  and  the  family  in  general,  and  through 
the  goodness  of  God  have  been  so  ever  since  you 
left  us.  The  children  are  all  at  Boston,  under  the 
operation  of  the  small-pox.  Jose  is  just  now  break- 


O  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [1755. 

ing  out,  Betsey  has  got  over  it;  so  that  Mrs. 
Miller,  where  she  is,  talks  of  bringing  her  to  see  us 
to-day.  The  other  children  are  at  Mr.  Scollay's. 
Mrs.  Miller  sends  regards  to  you,  and  your  Aunt 
Stevens  sends  her  love.  Our  relations  are  gener- 
ally well,  but  she  that  was  Polly  Sever,  is  very  low 
in  a  consumption.  It  is  not  expected  she  will  live 
out  dog-days. 

"My  dear  son,  I  greatly  rejoice  to  hear  of  your 
health  and  temporal  prosperity.  We  received  a 
letter  from  you  to-day,  by  the  hand  of  Mr.  Brown. 
You  inform  us  of  the  great  host  that  are  coming 
against  us,  but  I  hope  that  God  will  scatter  them, 
so  that  they  will  not  be  left  to  hurt  you  or  us. 

"But,  my  child,  eternal  things  lie  with  such 
weight  on  my  mind,  I  can 't  help  reminding  you 
of  the  importance  of  securing  your  everlasting  well- 
being.  Believe  me,  I  could  plead  in  the  humblest 
manner  with  the  meanest  creature  that  has  an 
immortal  soul,  to  provide  for  its  eternal  happi- 
ness ;  how  much  more  for  those  whose  souls  are 
next  my  own ! 

"The  Lord  knows  who   are   his.     In  the  most 
calamitous  times,  oh,  let  us  get  unto  Christ,  that 
ark  of  safety  in  these  tempestuous  days. 
"  Your  affectionate  mother, 

"  MARY  WARREN." 

This  letter  was  written  to  John  Warren,  when 
he  was  twenty-three  years  old,  and  performing  the 
duties  of  hospital  surgeon  in  the  army  at  Cam- 
bridge. I  have  introduced  it,  in  this  place,  as 


1755.]  PARENTS.  7 

illustrative  of  the  character  of  the  mother.  The 
children  alluded  to  were  her  grandchildren,  left 
orphans  and  destitute,  by  the  death  of  Joseph 
Warren  at  Bunker  Hill.  Mrs.  Mary  Warren  was 
the  daughter  of  Dr.  Samuel  Stevens  of  Roxbury. 

Such  were  the  parents  of  John  Warren.  Such, 
in  particular,  was  she  who  had  the  task  of  forming 
the  moral  and  religious  habits,  of  giving  the  early 
bias,  and  instilling  those  firm  principles  of  piety, 
which  bore  fruit  in  the  lives  of  her  children. 

In  her  family,  the  rigid  observance  of  the 
Sabbath,  which  commenced  on  Saturday  evening, 
daily  worship,  and  the  diligent  study  of  the 
Scriptures,  were  rigidly  practiced  and  enforced. 
Joseph,  the  eldest  son,  is  said  to  have  possessed  a 
knowledge  of  their  contents  that  was  unsurpassed. 
John,  the  youngest,  of  delicate  constitution,  and 
more  entirely  the  subject  of  maternal  care,  im- 
pressed too  in  infancy  by  the  solemn  scene  of 
his  father's  death,  imbibed,  perhaps,  a  tenderer 
disposition  and  softer  affections  than  his  brothers. 
With  equal  knowledge  of  the  whole,  he  dearly 
loved  the  pathetic  portions.  The  history  of  the 
patriarchs,  of  Jacob  and  his  children,  Joseph  and 
his  brethren,  and,  in  the  New  Testament,  the  his- 
tory and  sufferings  of  the  founder  of  our  faith, 
were  great  objects  of  interest.  One  of  the  strong- 
est traits  transmitted  from  the  father,  was  the  old 
Puritan  hatred  of  injustice  in  any  form.  The  stern 
sense  of  duty,  the  paramount  love  of  justice,  was 
their  pervading  characteristic.  "  Let  justice  be 
done,  though  the  skies  fall." 


8  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [1755. 

John,  as  I  have  said,  was  the  youngest  of  four 
children.  His  three  brothers  were  Joseph,  Samuel, 
and  Ebenezer.  Of  Joseph  Warren,  enough  has 
been  said  and  written.  His  biography  by  Mr. 
Frothingham  leaves  nothing  to  be  added  by  me, 
except  what  is  intimately  connected  with  his 
brother's  life  and  history.  He«married,  September 
6,  1764,  the  daughter  of  Dr.  Richard  Hooton  of 
Boston.  She  died  at  the  age  of  twenty-six,  April 
29,  1773,  about  two  years  before  her  husband. 
If  these  dates  are  correct,  she  could  have  been 
only  seventeen  when  she  was  married.  She  left 
four  children,  —  Joseph,  Elizabeth,  Richard,  and 
Mary ;  or,  in  their  grandmother's  language,  that 
of  the  time,  Jose,  Dick,  Betsey,  and  Polly,  already 
spoken  of  in  her  letter  given  above. 

The  second  son  of  the  elder  Joseph  Warren,  was 
a  man  of  peculiar  habits  —  very  shy  and  reserved. 
He  cultivated  the  farm,  and  always  lived  a  secluded 
life.  It  is  related  of  him,  that  he  never  could  be 
induced  to  take  a  meal  in  his  brother's  house  in 
Boston.  When  he  had  occasion  to  visit  the  family, 
he  purchased  a  piece  of  gingerbread  from  one 
of  the  barrows  which  used  to  stand  at  the  street 
corners,  and  eat  it  on  the  steps,  with  his  face  to  the 
door,  before  he  entered  the  house.  Yet  he  was 
with  his  brothers  at  Lexington.  He  probably 
found  it  harder  to  meet  a  well  dressed  lady,  than 
to  face  a  regiment.  He  never  married.  After  his 
mother's  death,  he  continued  to  occupy  the  old 
house  for  two  years,  until  his  own  death,  which 
took  place  in  1805. 


1755.]  BIRTHPLACE.  9 

In  passing  on,  I  may  say  here,  that  on  Samuel's 
death,  the  house  came  into  the  possession  of  my  fa- 
ther. It  was  leased  to  many  tenants  during  his 
life.  For  some  years,  it  was  occupied  by  a  Deacon 
Monroe,  or  "Deacon  Roe,"  tis  he  was  called.  It 
then  fell  gradually  into  the  hands  of  inferior  ten- 
ants, as  the  process  of  decay  went  on.  My  father 
was  too  much  busied  with  the  stern  realities  of  life, 
too  anxious  about  the  state  of  his  country,  too 
busied  with  his  large  practice  and  the  cares  of  an 
increasing  family,  to  devote  much  thought  or 
money  for  the  preservation  of  the  paternal  cottage. 

In  1833,  the  house  and  seven  acres  were  offered 
for  sale,  and  though  many  of  the  neighbors  wished 
to  buy,  none  would  offer  more  than  one  thousand 
dollars.  It  was  offered  at  auction,  and  to  the  aston- 
ishment of  the  spectators,  sold  for  five  thousand 
two  hundred  and  ninety  dollars.  So  little  demand 
for  land  in  Roxbury  was  there  at  this  period,  that 
an  estate  valued  in  1765  at  £292,  was  considered 
worth  only  $1,000,  in  1833. 

The  purchasers,  however,  soon  found  means  of 
selling  off  house  lots  at  a  great  advance.  Dr.  John 
C.  Warren  reserved  the  site  of  the  old  house,  and 
as  it  was  impossible  to  preserve  this  any  longer,  he 
built  a  new  stone  cottage  upon  the  spot,  as  a 
memorial. 

Ebenezer  Warren,  the  third  son,  married  Ann 
Tucker  of  Boston,  and  settled  in  Foxborough.  He 
became  Judge  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas  for 
the  county  of  Norfolk.  He  was  a  mild,  benevolent 
man,  and  adhered  to  the  faith  of  his  fathers  in  poli- 


10  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [1755. 

tics  and  religion,  but  with  perfect  liberality  towards 
the  opinions  of  others.  His  eldest  son  who  settled 
in  Maine,  and  became  president  of  the  Hallowell 
Bank,  espoused  with  great  zeal  opposite  opinions, 
becoming  a  Democrat,  and  attending  a  Unitarian 
church,  but,  I  am  confident,  without  any  interrup- 
tion of  the  good  feeling  between  them. 

Judge  Warren  lived  many  years  after  his  broth- 
ers, to  a  good  and  happy  old  age.  Shortly  before 
his  death,  he  rode  on  horseback  from  his  home 
in  Foxborough  to  Hallowell,  Waterville,  and  Pal- 
myra, in  Maine,  to  visit  his  children  and  relatives. 
He  died  January  21st,  1824. 


CHAPTER  II. 

EDUCATION. 

1763-1774. 

Education  at  the  Roxbury  Grammar  School.  —  Rev.  Samuel  Elliot.  — 
Enters  College.  —  Classmates.  —  Acquires  a  Strong  Love  for  the 
Study  of  Anatomy. — Medical  Education. 

TOHN  WARREN  did  not  evince  any  precocious 
talents  for  learning.  He  was  ten  years  old  before 
he  began  to  read.  He  then  went  to  the  Grammar 
School  in  Roxbury,  then  under  the  charge  of  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Elliott,  who  was  afterwards  settled  in 
Fairfield,  Connecticut.  He  now  applied  himself 
earnestly  to  study,  with  the  more  zeal  because  he 
had  not  been  compelled  to  turn  pages  into  dog's 
ears,  at  an  earlier  age. 

At  the  age  of  fourteen  he  was  well  prepared  for 
college,  and  entered  at  Harvard,  July,  17G7.  He 
was  supported  in  college  by  his  own  exertions,  and 
perhaps  from  that  very  reason,  was  induced  to 
avail  himself  more  earnestly  of  the  opportunities 
he  enjoyed.  He  became  a  good  classical  scholar, 
and  acquired  a  facility  of  speaking  the  Latin  lan- 
guage, which  was  of  essential  use  to  him  in  after 
life,  when  brought  into  communication  with  med- 
ical men  from  Europe,  who  had  no  other  common 
tongue.  His  indefatigable  industry,  and  a  memory 


12  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  21. 

wonderfully  tenacious,  gave  him  a  high  rank  during 
his  whole  college  course.  He  conceived  a  strong 
passion  for  the  study  of  Anatomy,  and  by  his 
zealous  exertions  a  club  was  formed  in  college  for 

its  pursuit.  Whether  or  not  this  was  the  Sp r 

Club,  of  which  we  shall  find  Dr.  Eustis  speaking 
hereafter,  I  cannot  say.  Among  his  classmates  were 
James  Bowdoin,  the  son  of  Governor  Bowdoin ; 
Samuel  Philips,  afterwards  Lieutenant-governor; 
Governor  Sargeant,  of  Mississippi,  etc.  Dr.  Eustis 
was  in  the  class  after. 

Immediately  after  leaving  college,  he  commenced 
the  study  of  Medicine  with  his  brother  Joseph, 
who  had  become  one  of  the  most  successful  practi- 
tioners in  Boston.  It  is  very  possible  that  the 
fearful  scene  which  he  witnessed  in  childhood, 
while  it  produced  serious  and  reflective  habits,  in- 
duced the  desire  to  examine  into  the  structure  of 
that  machine,  so  wonderful  in  its  operations  while 
active,  so  suddenly  arrested  in  its  course,  beyond 
the  power  of  man  again  to  set  it  in  motion. 
However  induced,  this  disposition  to  inquire  into 
the  structure  of  the  human  body  as  displaying  the 
work  of  a  divine  artificer,  led  him  to  overcome 
the  natural  horror  and  disgust  which  is  especially 
felt  by  persons  of  delicate  and  refined  organizations 
in  breaking  in  upon  the  secrets  which  mortality 
hides  from  us,  and  witnessing  the  progress  of  cor- 
ruption in  forms  once  beautiful  and  beloved. 

The  prominent  idea  in  his  studies,  as  in  the 
lectures  which  he  subsequently  gave,  was  to 
contemplate  and  describe  the  work  of  a  superior 


1774.]  COMMENCES    PRACTICE   IN    SALEM.  13 

and  benevolent  designer  in  all  the  mechanism  of 
the  human  frame.  He  was,  like  other  men,  ambi- 
tious of  success  in  life,  but  this  study  was  not  re- 
garded by  him  mainly  as  that  upon  which  he 
should  build  the  foundation  of  future  prosperity. 
He  delighted  in  the  study  as  displaying  the  work 
of  a  contriver,  creator,  and  sustainer  of  powers  in- 
finitely superior  to  those  of  man.  It  was  the  ear- 
nestness and  enthusiasm  with  which  he  enforced 
these  views,  that  gave  him  his  power  of  eloquence 
when  he  became  a  lecturer. 

The  term  of  two  years'  study  only,  was  then 
required  to  qualify  a  student  for  the  practice  of 
medicine.  Having  completed  the  usual  course, 
my  father  determined  to  settle  in  Salem.  Boston 
was  well  supplied  with  physicians.  Besides  his 
brother  Joseph  ;  Dr.  Lloyd,  Dr.  Jeffries,  Dr.  Rand, 
Dr.  Bullfinch,  and  others  possessed  the  confidence 
of  the  public. 

In  Salem,  his  sound  qualifications  and  agreeable 
manners  won  for  him  the  friendship  and  support  of 
Dr.  Holyoke,  Avho  then  enjoyed  a  large  practice. 
He  soon  became  extensively  employed.  Although, 
as  a  young  man,  he  could  not  at  once  obtain  a 
profitable  business,  yet  he  was  pretty  well  ocupied, 
and  in  after  life  he  often  expressed  his  gratitude 
for  the  honorable  notice  he  had  received  from  this 
town.  He  became  much  attached  to  it,  and  nothing 
but  the  call  of  his  country  could  have  induced  him 
to  leave  it. 

Dr.  Warren  was  indeed  well  qualified  for  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  His  love  of  anatomy 


14  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  21. 

had  overcome  the  difficulties  which,  at  this  period, 
particularly  interfered  with  the  study  of  that  branch 
of  medical  science,  the  most  important  foundation, 
especially  for  surgery.  There  were  no  lectures 
given.  It  had  been  necessary  for  him  to  obtain 
this  knowledge  by  his  own  diligent  exertions,  his 
own  personal  risk,  and  the  aid  of  those  whose  ardor 
he  had  excited.  Knowledge  so  obtained  is  always 
the  most  valuable  and  the  most  practical.  The 
difficulty  of  obtaining  it,  fixes  it  deep  in  the  mem- 
ory. The  mind  is  not  crowded  or  eonfused  by  at- 
tention to  a  variety  of  objects  ;  the  ideas  are  clearer 
and  more  real  and  distinct. 

The  modes  of  study  were  also  very  different  in 
those  days.  Fewer  books  were  read ;  the  whole 
course  was  more  practical.  The  pupil  was  an 
apprentice,  in  everything  but  the  name,  and  the 
articles  of  service.  He  was  required  to  prepare 
medicines,  spread  plasters,  dress  slight  wounds,  and 
rise  to  attend  calls  in  the  night.  He  accompanied 
his  instructor  in  his  attendance  on  patients ;  in 
suitable  cases  he  made  visits  and  prescribed  himself. 
Severe  tasks  were  sometimes  required.  As  late  as 
1813,  a  pupil  was  required  to  wire  a  skeleton, 
certainly  a  very  useful  work,  involving  the.acquisi- 
tion  of  much  skill,  and  familiarity  with  the  bones, 
but  requiring  no  little  labor. 

By  this  practical  course,  the  pupil  acquired  expe- 
rience and  confidence  whilst  under  the  eye  of  his 
master.  The  demand  for  practical  knowledge,  for 
personal  responsibility  in  the  treatment  of  disease  ; 
led  him  to  draw  upon  his  own  mental  resources. 


1774.]  DUTIES    OF   MEDICAL    STUDENTS.  15 

He  was  not  the  mere  passive  recipient  of  what  he 
read  and  saw.  He  became  accustomed  to  apply  it, 
and  to  depend  upon  himself. 

The  habit  of  visiting  with  his  instructor  natu- 
rally placed  them  upon  confidential  terms,  and  a 
closer  connection  took  place,  for  a  man  naturally 
expresses  his  views  more  fully  to  one  who  is  the 
companion  of  his  rides  and  visits,  and  the  inmate 
of  his  house,  than  he  ever  can  to  a  number,  whom 
he  only  sees  on  the  benches  of  his  lecture  room. 
A  few  words  of  practical  and  familiar  explanation 
in  answer  to  inquiry,  is  often  of  more  value  to  the 
pupil  than  the  perusal  of  a  volume.  The  medical 
student,  after  enjoying  all  the  advantages  of  hos- 
pitals and  lecture  rooms,  when  called  upon  to 
prescribe  for  a  patient,  after  he  has  received  his 
medical  degree,  is  very  much  in  the  case  of  one 
who  had  received  a  diploma  for  swimming,  without 
ever  having  been  in  the  water.  He  may  have  read 
deeply  upon  the  subject,  made  himself  acquainted 
with  the  principles  by  which  a  body  floats  on 
the  water,  and  know  the  very  muscles  which  are 
to  be  used.  He  is  simply  unable  to  apply  the 
principles. 

Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  who  had  enjoyed  all  the 
advantages  of  visiting  in  foreign  hospitals,  had 
practiced  as  an  interne  at  Guy's,  and  been  a  pupil 
of  Dubois  in  Paris,  residing  in  his  family;  states 
that  he  was  entirely  at  a  loss  when,  after  his  return 
to  Boston,  he  was  first  called  upon  to  prescribe.  He 
fixed  upon  the  dose  entirely  by  hazard. 

It  was  probably  in  ridicule  of  this  kind  of  prepa- 


16  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  I  AGE  21. 

ration,  that  a  successful  practitioner  in  Boston  in 
1826,  upon  being  asked  by  a  pupil  who  had  just 
entered  his  office,  what  book  he  should  read,  took 
down  a  volume  of  Celsus,  in  the  original,  a  work 
of  some  six  or  eight  large  volumes.  He  probably 
had  in  his  mind  the  reply  of  a  physician  in  a  re- 
moter age,  "  Read  Don  Quixote."  In  the  former 
case,  as  probably  in  the  latter,  the  pupil  never 
applied  again  for  direction  in  his  studies. 

After  the  establishment  of  courses  of  lectures, 
and  the  opening  of  the  hospital  in  Boston,  the 
connection  between  teacher  and  pupil  became 
very  slight  indeed.  Another  very  eminent  physi- 
cian, upon  being  applied  to  by  a  pupil  at  the  period 
last  mentioned,  gave  him  a  list  of  the  books  re- 
quired by  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  —  a 
list  for  many  years  unaltered,  —  and  informed  him 
he  could  obtain  the  books  from  the  Boston  Athe- 
naeum. This  was  all  the  instruction  he  ever  re- 
ceived from  his  nominal  instructor,  except  occa- 
sionally witnessing  a  private  operation,  the  steps 
of  which  he  generally  could  not  understand.  The 
excellent  medical  school  of  Dr.  Jackson  and  Dr. 
Channing  was,  however,  an  exception,  and  very 
soon  after,  other  schools  were  formed. 

At  a  little  earlier  period  than  this,  while  the 
Boston  Dispensary  was  undercharge  of  one  phy- 
sician, many  pupils  entered  their  names  with  him, 
and  had  opportunity  of  acquiring  experience  under 
his  direction  and  at  his  responsibility.  But  after  a 
time,  the  wisdom  of  the  directors  of  that  institution 
discovered  that  this  was  allowing  the  physician 


1774.]  BOSTON    DISPENSARY.  17 

too  great  a  discretion.  It  would  seem  indeed  to 
be  inevitable  that  the  directors  and  trustees  of  all 
medical  institutions  understand  the  duties  of  the 
physicians,  much  better  than  they  do  themselves. 
What  indeed  is  the  use  of  authority,  unless  one 
can  pull  the  reins  and  tighten  the  cords  a  little 
now  and  then  ? 

When  the  Dispensary  was  first  established,  as  it 
was  upon  purely  benevolent  motives,  it  was  consid- 
ered a  kind  and  generous  thing  for  the  physician 
to  give  his  time  and  skill  to  the  aid  of  the  poor; 
but  the  advantages  which  were  afforded  by  attract- 
ing pupils,  who  eagerly  availed  themselves  of  the 
opportunity  for  acquiring  experience,  soon  made 
it  profitable,  and  the  office  was  eagerly  sought  for, 
and  the  directors  beset  with  applications  by  phy- 
sicians just  commencing  practice. 

The  advantage  of  dispensary  over  hospital  prac- 
tice is,  that  the  neophyte  sees  more  of  acute  dis- 
ease. He  sees  his  patient  almost  in  the  moment 
of  the  attack.  Except  in  cases  of  accident,  persons 
are  not  carried  to  a  hospital  at  once,  and  the  major- 
ity of  the  patients  are  those  who  have  undergone 
a  longer  or  shorter  course  of  treatment  at  their 
houses,  before  they  are  brought  in  to  receive  the 
advantages  of  greater  skill,  or  superior  remedial 
means.  Such  at  least  was  the  case  at  the  Massa- 
chusetts General  Hospital.  It  must  be  so,  in  a 
degree,  in  all  hospitals.  The  pupil  does  not  see 
the  patient  in  the  first  onset  of  disease,  which  is 
now  generally  allowed  to  be  the  only  time  for 


18  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AcE  21. 

active  treatment.  In  a  large  proportion  of  hospital 
cases,  the  resources  of  nature  and  those  of  physic 
have  generally  been  pretty  well  tried,  before  the 
patient  is  brought  in. 

I  would  be  very  far  from  depreciating  the  ad- 
vantages of  reading,  lectures,  or  hospital  attend- 
ance—  above  all,  of  clinical  instruction.  No  man 
can  arrive  at  professional  eminence  without  these 
helps.  But  a  man  who  has  been  called  upon  to 
use  his  own  resources,  and  to  apply,  at  the  bed- 
side of  his  patient,  the  information  he  has  ac- 
quired, will  derive  tenfold  the  advantage  from 
these  opportunities.  He  should  have  had  some 
previous  private  instruction.  Thus,  a  physician 
who  has  practiced  five  years  at  home,  will  derive 
very  much  greater  advantages  from  visiting  for- 
eign hospitals,  and  attending  lectures  abroad. 
Without  these  advantages  a  man  may  become  a 
successful  routine  or  empirical  practitioner.  He 
will  rarely  become  an  accomplished  physician. 

The  "  Professor  "  tells  us  that  there  are  in  every 
class  half  a  dozen  bright  faces  to  whom  the 
teacher  naturally  directs  himself,  and  among  these 
is  generally  one  with  whom  he  forms,  as  it  were, 
magnetic  or  sympathetic  relations.  These  are 
'the  persons  who  are  the  most  benefited  by  lec- 
tures. They  are,  most  likety,  young  men  from 
the  country ;  or,  at  any  rate,  persons  thrown 
early  upon  their  own  resources,  who  have  found 
out  what  they  want  to  know,  and  whose  minds 
are  not  merely  in  the  state  of  recipients. 


H74.]  MEDICAL   EDUCATION.  19 

Previous  to  the  rupture  with  the  mother  coun- 
try, those  who  could  do  so  went  to  Europe  for 
their  medical  education.  For  those  who  did  not, 
it  was  the  duty  of  the  instructor  to  supply  the 
deficiency  as  far  as  possible. 


CHAPTER  III. 

1774-1775. 
TEA    THROWN     OVERBOARD. 

John  Warren's  Medical  Qualifications.  —  General  Warren's  Medical 
Practice.  —  His  success  in  Treatment  of  Small-pox.  —  Partnership 
in  a  Small-pox  Hospital  with  an  English  Surgeon.  —  His  Avhere- 
abouts  on  the  Night  and  Morning  of  June  16,  1  7.  —  Dr.  Norwood's 
Letter.  —  Mr.  Eustis's  Letter.  —  Tea  thrown  Overboard.  —  Dr. 
Tyler's  Letters.  —  John  Warren's  Letter  to  Joseph.  —  Fear  of  in- 
curring Debt.  —  Joseph's  Answer. 

JOHN  WARREN,  therefore,  had  not  been  so  un- 
favorably situated,  as  is  generally  supposed,  for 
obtaining,  in  an  eminent  degree,  the  qualifications 
of  a  medical  practitioner. 

Very  strong  attachment  existed  between  him 
and  his  brother.  Joseph's  twelve  years  seniority, 
while  it  gave  him  the  advantage  of  a  large  expe- 
rience, was  not  sufficient  to  .repel  familiarity,  nei- 
ther was  his  disposition  likely  to  do  so.  Both 
brothers,  warm-hearted,  ardent,  enthusiastic,  of  at- 
tractive manners,  were  closely  united  by  patriotic, 
as  well  as  professional  sympathies.  There  can 
be  no  doubt  that  the  elder  afforded  to  his  pupil 
every  advantage  which  his  large  practice  and  his 
friendly  instructions  could  render.  The  younger 
brother,  possessed  of  great  natural  quickness,  pow- 


1774.]        GENERAL   WARREN'S   MEDICAL   PRACTICE.  21 

erf ul  memory,  and  an  intuitive  perception  of  facts, 
suffered  no  opportunity  to  pass  unimproved. 

Joseph  was  the  pupil  of  Dr.  Lloyd,  who  received 
his  medical ,  education  in  England.  He  never 
abandoned  or  neglected  his  profession.  In  the 
year  1764,  very  soon  after  he  commenced  prac- 
tice, the  small-pox  prevailed  in  Boston,  and  he 
became  one  of  the  most  successful  in  its  treatment. 
In  July,  1774,  less  than  a  year  before  the  battle 
of  Bunker  Hill,  he  entered  into  a  copartnership 
with  Dr.  Bulh'nch,  Samuel  Adams,  and  James 
Latham,  "surgeon  in  the  King's  or  Eighth  regi- 
ment of  foot,"  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  hospi- 
tal at  Point  Shirley,  in  the  township  of  Chelsea,  for 
the  inoculation  of  persons  for  the  small-pox,  and 
attending  other  persons  having  the  disease  in  the 
natural  way,  upon  certain  specified  conditions ; 
Dr.  Latham  giving  his  bond  in  the  sum  of  three 
thousand  pounds,  lawful  money  of  Great  Britain, 
for  the  faithful  performance  of  his  part  of  the  con- 
tract. A  similar  copartnership  was  formed,  with 
the  omission  of  Dr.  Adams,  for  the  purpose  of 
erecting  a  small-pox  hospital  or  hospitals  in  the 
Province  of  Pennsylvania,  or  any  colonies  to  the 
north  thereof.  Each  copartnership  was  to  con- 
tinue for  the  space  of  twenty-one  years  from  July 
30;  1774. 

For  a  person  so  earnestly  engaged  in  the  all- 
absorbing  political  events  of  the  period,  this 
seems  to  be  a  pretty  enterprising  concern.  A 
petition  was  presented  in  November  of  the  same 
year  to  the  Selectmen  of  the  Town  of  Chelsea, 


LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

for  leave  to  open  the  hospital ;  and  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  guard  to  insulate  the  hospital  build- 
ings, and  prevent  communication  of  the  disease. 
The  6th  of  March  following  must  have  effectu- 
ally dissolved  this  partnership.  Dr.  Adams,  who 
was  the  son  of  the  distinguished  patriot  Samuel 
Adams,  and  a  pupil  of  Joseph  Warren,  became  a 
surgeon  in  the  army. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  the  day  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Lexington,  General  Warren  called  to  him 
Mr.  Eustis,  then  his  pupil,  directed  him  to  take 
charge  of  his  patients  during  his  absence,  mounted 
his  horse,  and  rode  off  to  the  scene  of  action. 

I  have  attended  a  lady  who  was  born  in  Ded- 
ham  on  the  17th  of  June,  1775.  Dr.  Joseph  War- 
ren was  engaged  to  attend  her  mother  in  her  con- 
finement. It  is  stated  that  he  visited  her  on  that 
morning,  and  finding  she  had  no  immediate  occa- 
sion for  his  services,  told  her  that  he  must  go  to 
Charlestown  to  get  a  shot  at  the  British,  and  he 
would  return  to  her  in  season. 

On  the  night  of  the  16th,  it  is  well  known  that 
he  presided  at  the  meeting  of  the  Colonial  Con- 
gress, which  continued  in  sessipn  a  great  part  of 
the  night  in  Watertown.  It  is  very  probable  that 
he  returned  to  visit  his  mother  and  his  children 
at  Roxbury  before  the  battle,  and  from  there  went 
to  visit  his  patient.  It  is  well  known  that  he  was 
late  on  the  battle-field.  Of  course,  he  never  re- 
turned to  her  again,  and  she  was  attended  by  Mr. 
Eustis. 

General  Warren,  then,  was  in  active  practice  up 


1775.J  DR.    NORWOOD'S    LETTER.  23 

almost  to  the  moment  of  his  death.  His  brother 
John,  therefore,  though  he  had  not,  like  many  of 
his  time,  visited  a  foreign  country,  had  enjoyed  the 
advantage  of  seeing  a  large  practice,  and  receiv- 
ing the  instructions  of  an  able  and  experienced 
practitioner.  He  was  well  qualified  to  justify  the 
recommendations  of  Dr.  Holyoke,  and  the  confi- 
dence he  so  rapidly  obtained  in  Salem. 

It  had  been  his  previous  intention  to  go  to   Su- 
•rinam,  and,  with  the  purpose  of  qualifying  him- 
self for  residence  and  practice  there,  he  had  made 
himself  thoroughly    acquainted   with   the   Dutch 
language. 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  Jon.  Norwood 
alludes  to  this  intention:  — 

"  FALMOUTII,  CASCO  BAY,  June  5,  1775. 

"  SIR,  —  I  suppose  all  thoughts  of  the  West  In- 
dia Expedition  are  laid  aside,  and  that  you  deter- 
mine to  exercise  your  talents  for  the  benefit  of 
your  countrymen.  I  need  not  assure  you  how 
great  satisfaction  it  would  give  me  to  accompany 

you  to  the  army,  where  possibly  a  Sp r  Club 

might  again  exert  itself  for  the  benefit  of  man- 
kind. 

"  Brother  Bond,  it  seems,  has  been  in  Limbo, 
but  whether  he  has  regained  the  esteem  of  his 
countrymen,  or  came  out  the  same  heterogeneous 
Quiddam  he  went  in,  I  have  not  been  able  to  learn. 
If  you  have  leisure,  your  answer  to  the  following 
queries  will  much  oblige  your  friend  and  humble 
servant,  Jon.  Norwood. 


24  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

"Is  not  the  best  way  of  curing  old  spinous 
ulcers  —  where  they  are  free  from  pain,  but  the 
part  feeble  — by  stimulants? 

"  What  are  proper  ? 

"  What  distinguishes  bilious  cholic  from  inflam- 
mation of  the  bowels  ?  Yours,  J.  N." 

Jonathan  Norwood  was  in  the  same  class  with 
my  father;  Nathan  Bond  was  in  the  class  after. 

William  Eustis,  above  mentioned,  graduated  at 
Cambridge  in  1772,  the  year  after  my  father.  He 
immediately  commenced  his  medical  studies  with 
Joseph  Warren,  so  that  they  were  one  year  to- 
gether as  fellow-pupils,  and  continued  the  inti- 
macy already  formed  in  college.  He  was  left,  as 
has  been  said,  by  General  Warren,  to  attend  his 
patients  on  the  day  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  but 
he  was  of  too  vivacious  temperament  to  be  easily 
excluded  from  his  share  of  the  fun ;  so  about  one 
o'clock,  "  Enstis  mounted  too,"  like  his  predecessor 
at  Flodden,  and  was  off  for  the  scene  of  action, 
where  he  found  full  demand  for  all  the  surgical 
skill  he  possessed. 

When  the  American  army  was  forming,  General 
Warren  offered  and  obtained  for  Mr.  Eustis  the 
appointment  of  regimental  surgeon,  observing  to 
him  that  he  had  already  seen  more  practice  than 
most  surgeons  from  the  country.  He  was  accord- 
ingly appointed  surgeon  of  the  regiment  of  artil- 
lery, then  at  Cambridge.  He  followed  the  army  to 
New  York,  and  soon  after  received  the  appointment 
of  hospital  surgeon.  He  was  one  of  those  who 


1775-1  LETTER    FROM    DR.    EUSTIS.  25 

continued  through  the  war.  It  may  be  noticed  here 
that,  at  this  time,  no  medical  degrees  were  con- 
ferred by  Harvard  University.  The  examinations 
for  hospital  surgeons  were  very  strict,  as  testified  to 
by  Dr.  Thacher,  but  there  was  no  authority  any- 
where to  confer  degrees ;  and  up  to  a  much  later 
period  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  was  enjoyed 
by  courtesy  only,  except  by  those  who  obtained 
it  from  abroad.  The  College  catalogue  gives  Dr. 
Eustis  no  title  of  Doctor  of  Medicine,  although  he 
was  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 
The  omission  is  worthy  of  notice,  as  significant  of 
the  customs  of  the  time.  He  received  a  Master's 
degree  in  1784,  and  the  customary  LL.  D.  when 
he  became  Governor  of  Massachusetts  in  1823. 
His  intimacy  with  my  father  is  noticed  as  one  of 
the  earliest  recollections  of  John  C.  Warren.  After 
the  war,  we  find  him  Vice-President  of  the  Society 
of  the  Cincinnati,  a  proof  that  he  did  not  share  the 
democratic  prejudices  of  Samuel  Adams  against  this 
institution. 

Soon  after  my  father's  settlement  in  Salem,  the 
following  very  pleasant  letter  was  received  from 
Dr.  Eustis,  dated  November  17,  1773:  — 

"  AUSPICIOUS  YOUTH,  —  These  are  to  congratulate 
you  on  the  pleasing  smile  which  Madam  Fortune 
has  been  pleased  to  cast  upon  you.  Your  happy 
success  serves  to  confirm  me  in  the  opinion  that 
superior  merit  seldom  fails  to  meet  with  its  reward. 
We  poor  dclvers  view  you  as  the  favorite  of  Heaven, 
snatched  from  among  us  to  inherit  the  kingdom  of 


26  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

bliss,  which  is  always  open  to  receive  great  minds. 
Last  evening,  I  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  by  Mr. 
Gowers  your  kind  favor  of  the  13th  instant,  and  I 
beg  you  would  steal  one  hour  from  the  Sale  mites, 
to  give  us  a  full  detail  of  your  circumstances, — 
what  say  they  of  you  —  how  business  comes  in  — 
how  Bond  is  —  how  the  hectic  woman  is  ?  etc.,  etc. 
"The  Sp  —  rs  often  speak  of  the  loss  of  their 
last  member,  with  sorrow  which  can  only  be  felt 
among  themselves.  Good  heavens !  to  reflect  on 
the  continued  bars  we  are  meeting  in  our  pursuits. 
It  seems  as  if  fate  had  placed  medical  knowledge 
profimda  in  puteo,  saxis  et  vix  mobilibus  mlmersa. 
Could  any  one  be  a  spectator  of  our  honest,  lauda- 
ble intentions,  and,  at  the  same  time,  observe  the 
momentous  difficulties  with  which  we  are  continu- 
ally perplexed,  methinks  it  would  lead  a  flinty  soul 
to  pity  us ;  but,  — 

"Descends  O  Salemite,  omnesque  aspicite  Sp  —  rs, 
'  Quos  neque  Pauperies,  neque  vincula  terrent.' 

I  wish  I  had  time  to  say  many  more  things,  sed 
fata  vetant.  I  remain,  much  valued  Doctor,  your 
very  humble  servant,  W.  EUSTIS. 

"  P.  S.  Sir,  pray  remember  that  Mr.  Townsend 
speaks  in  this  letter  as  well  as  myself,  —  that  we 
twain  are  one  flesh, —  that  one  soul  animates  us 
both,  and  that  we  have  not  differed  in  sentiment 
with  regard  to  one  iota,  since  you  left  us.  But  as 
my  other  half  is  gone  to  the  dressings,  and  don't 
see  what  I  write,  I  must  justly  beg  that  you  would 
impute  all  the  folly  you  read  to  W.  E.,  and  if  per- 
chance you  should  meet  anything  tolerably  clever, 


1775.]  LETTER   FROM    DR.    TYLER.  27 

attribute  half  of  it  to  Mr.  T.     We   remain  jointly 
and  severally  your  humble  D.  T.  &  W.  E.     Tuesday 


Whilst  my"  father  was  assiduously  pursuing  his 
profession  in  Salem,  making  friends  and  extending 
his  practice,  not  as  yet  very  lucrative,  public  events 
were  moving  rapidly  on.  December  18th,  the  tea 
was  thrown  overboard  in  Boston  harbor.  The 
prompt  result  was  the  Boston  Port  Bill,  and  this 
in  turn  gave  rise  to  the  "  Solemn  League  and  Cove- 
nant," a  paper  circulated  throughout  the  Province, 
by  which  the  signers  bound  themselves  to  break 
off  all  intercourse  with  England. 

This  step  was  doubtless  taken  by  the  wise  and 
prudent  initiators  of  our  Revolution,  not  so  much 
to  injure  the  parent  government  as  to  combine 
the  population  in  measures  of  resistance,  and  inure 
them  to  depend  upon  internal  resources.  Some 
years  later,  after  the  Revolution,  it  was  imitated  as 
a  popular  measure,  to  compel  England  to  abstain 
from  certain  aggressions.  In  the  latter  case,  it  was 
more  injurious  to  ourselves,  than  to  the  nation 
against  whom  it  was  aimed. 

My  father's  other  occupations  did  not  prevent 
his  taking  a  warm  interest  in  all  these  matters,  and 
aiding  the  public  cause  with  tongue  and  pen.  He 
was  already  enrolled  in  Colonel  Pickering's  regi- 
ment of  foot,  which  he  joined  as  a  volunteer,  and 
he  had  been  elected  surgeon  to  that  body. 

The  following  letter,  dated  July  21,  1774,  was 
written  by  Daniel  Tyler,  a  classmate  of  John  Warren, 


28  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

who  lived  in  Brooklyn,  Connecticut.  It  is  in  strong 
contrast  with  Dr.  Eustis',  and  shows  the  writer  to 
be  of  a  serious,  reflecting  character,  and  earnestly 
interested  in  the  public  cause  :  — 

"DEAR  DOCTOR,  —  The  familiar  acquaintance  I 
had  with  you  when  in  college,  together  with  an 
unfeigned  zeal  for  the  good  of  my  country,  must 
apologize  for  my  troubling  you  with  this  imperfect 
epistle. 

"I  was  in  Boston  the  other  day,  and  flattered 
myself  with  the  hope  of  seeing  you,  but  Dr.  Young 
informed  me  you  were  removed  to  Salem.  How- 
ever, the  deficiency  of  your  good  company  was  in 
a  great  measure  made  up  by  my  being  honored 
with  the  company  of  Messrs.  Gushing,  Adams,  and 
Dr.  Young,  patriots  of  renown,  whose  zeal  in  their 
country's  cause  will  hand  down  their  names  to 
posterity,  with  universal  applause.  The  Americans 
now  exhibit  a  virtue  unknown  to  the  Greeks  and 
Eomans.  Behold  them  vying  with  each  other  in 
their  munificence  to  the  town  of  Boston,  which 
stands  in  the  front  of  the  American  contest.  0 
laudable  ambition !  The  tables  of  the  poor  are 
bountifully  spread  with  the  liberalities  of  a  spirited 
people.  The  union  of  British  America  is  surpris- 
ing, to  use  the  words  of  the  above  Doctor  (Young) 
in  our  discourse  upon  this  point.  It  is  the  Lord's 
doing,  and  marvelous  in  our  eyes.  If  this  harmony 
is  kept  up,  we  shall  gain  our  point.  It  is  not  all 
Europe  that  can  enslave  us.  We  shall  baffle  the 
united  attempts  of  a  cruel  and  arbitrary  Parliament 


1775.]  DR.  TYLER'S  LETTER,  29 

to  enslave  America.  Ere  long  K — g  G — ge  will 
and  must  see  he  has  been  led  astray  by  a  cursed, 
deceitful,  and  designing  ministry ;  a  ministry  who 
make  the  present  administration  worse  than  the 
administration  of  Charles  the  First ;  and  it  is  a 
wonder,  if  the  American  wrongs  are  not  speedily 
redressed,  if  King  George's  crown  is  not  safe  upon 
his  head,  neither  is  his  head  safe  under  his  crown. 

"  The  union  of  America  in  the  non-importation 
agreement  will,  and  must,  affect  thousands  of  man- 
ufacturers in  England,  who  get  their  bread  by  the 
American  trade.  And  now  I  must  end  this  epistle, 
with  entreating  you  by  the  bond  of  friendship  to 
carry  on  a  political  epistolary  correspondence  with 
me.  And  as  I  have  the  honor  of  being  a  commit- 
tee for  that  purpose,  it  makes  me  more  earnest  of 
collecting  private  intelligence  from  different  parts 
of  America. 

"  I  am,  with  due  respect,  your  friend  and  fellow- 
countryman,  DANIEL  TYLER. 

"  A  post  will  take  your  letter  from  Edes  &  Gill's 
office." 

This  letter  would  of  itself  be  proof  of  the  inter- 
est which  Dr.  Warren  was  known  to  take  in  pub- 
lic affairs.  It  was  promptly  answered  on  the  3d 
of  August,  and  the  correspondence  continued  by 
a  third  letter  of  greater  length,  dated  September 
1st:  — 

"  DEAR  FRIEND, — Your  wise  and  patriotic  letter  of 
the  3d  ultimo,  is  now  before  me,  for  which  I  take 
this  opportunity  to  return  my  unfeigned  thanks. 


30  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

"  Your  observation  is  entirely  just,  that  it  is  the 
duty  of  every  good  citizen  to  use  every  effort  which 
the  GOD  of  nature  has  capacitated  him  with,  to 
suppress  those  monsters  of  state  which,  if  suffered 
to  rear  their  proud  heads,  must  eventually  subvert 
that  constitution  which  is  the  birthright  of  every 
Englishman.  And  I  can  but  rejoice  to  think  this 
opinion  is  strictly  adhered  to  in  your  province, 
which  is  widened  by  your  people's  treatment  of 
your  Mandamus  Counselors,  who  are  monsters 
more  hideous  than  Hydra.  I  hope  they  will  perse- 
vere, and  make  them  all  confess  they  have  sinned 
against  GOD  and  against  their  country,  and  beg 
for  the  pardon  and  the  mercy  of  their  GOD  and 
countrymen. 

"  It  must  be  pleasing  to  every  well  wisher  to  his 
country,  that  the  heroic  inhabitants  of  the  town  of 
Boston  still  persist  in  their  heroic  resolution  '  not 
to  abandon  the  heroic  cause  in  which  they  have 
engaged.'  The  thanks  of  all  America  are  justly 
due  to  those  noble  people  for  their  self-denial, 
which  they  exhibit,  in  a  Christian  like  manner,  in 
the  day  of  their  distress.  The  liberality  of  their 
countrymen  must  animate  them  amazingly  in  their 
melancholy  situation. 

"  It  must  be,  and  is  held  a  piece  of  prudence  in 
the  inhabitants  of  Boston,  'to  avoid  all  conten- 
tion with  the  soldiery ; '  and  I  am  glad  to  find, 
when  there  is  any  contention,  they  have  the  better 
of  the  soldiers. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  Lord  North,  that  enemy 
of  mankind,  has  been  attacked,  but  am  sorry  they 


1775.]  MEASURES    OF    RESISTANCE.  31 

had  not  left  his  body  a  lifeless  Corps  in  his  chariot. 
It  is  from  things  of  that  nature,  beyond  the  water, 
we  must  look  to  for  relief;  which  will  be  in  conse- 
quence of  our  uniting,  and  religiously  adhering  to 
a  Non-Importation. 

"  The  present  clouds  of  oppression,  I  hope,  will 
soon  blow  over ;  but  I  expect  they  will  shower 
down  blood  first.  But  I  hope  it  will  come  from 
those  whose  garments  most  resemble  it. 

"  We  are  in  a  good  cause,  and  have  reason  to 
expect  the  Almighty  Governor  of  the  world  will 
smile  upon  us,  and  give  us  conquest  over  all  the 
enemies  of  our  invaluable  rights.  We  had  a  Fast 
in  our  Government  yesterday,  when  many  devout 
and  patriotic  prayers  ascended  up  on  high,  which 
with  the  many  of  our  brethren  will,  I  hope,  be 
answered  in  peace. 

"We  are  equipping  ourselves  for  war  in  this 
Government;  the  news  of  which,  together  with 
that  of  four  other  provinces  being  in  like  posture, 
will  make  a  British  Senate  tremble. 

"  Your  future  favors  will  be  gratefully  received 
and  acknowleged,  by  your  friend,  fellow  country- 
man, and  humble  servant,  DANIEL  TYLER,  Jr." 

The  following  letter  was  written  to  a  committee 
of  the  mechanics  of  New  York,  on  behalf  of  the 
mechanics  of  Boston,  dated  September  8,  1774:  — 

"  GENTLEMEN, — General  Gage  being  determined  to 
cut  off  the  communication  of  this  town  with  the 
country,  by  fortifying  the  sole  pass  between  them 
and  the  land,  has  applied  to  several  tradesmen  in 


32  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

this  town,  and  found  none  base  enough  to  engage 
in  so  villainous  an  enterprise,  and  it  is  now  said 
he  intends  to  apply  to  New  York  for  workmen  to 
complete  his  designs.  Our  tradesmen,  therefore, 
apprehending  that  your  zeal  for  the  common  safety 
is  not  less  to  be  depended  upon  than  their  own, 
requested  us  to  give  you  the  earliest  intimation 
of  the  matter,  that  you  might  take  your  own  meas- 
ures accordingly. 

"  We  cannot  doubt  but  the  tradesmen  of  New 
York  will  treat  an  application  of  this  kind  as  it 
deserves.  The  subject  is  of  the  last  importance, 
and  for  any  one  part  of  America  to  show  a  readi- 
ness to  comply  with  measures  destructive  of  any 
other  part,  will  inevitably  destroy  that  confidence 
so  necessary  to  the  common  salvation. 

"We  are,  gentlemen,  your  friends  and  fellow- 
countrymen. 

"  By  order  of  the  Committee, 

"  JOHN  WARREN,  Chairman!' 

This  letter  was  received  by  the  committee  of 
the  mechanics  of  New  York,  and  unanimously 
ordered  to  be  printed. 

It  was  also  "  unanimously  resolved, "  That  the 
thanks  of  this  committee  be  returned  to  those 
worthy  mechanics  of  this  city  who  have  declined 
to  aid  or  assist  in  the  erection  of  fortifications  on 
Boston  Neck,  which,  when  completed,  would  prob- 
ably be  improved  to  spill  the  blood  of  their  fellow- 
subjects  in  Massachusetts  Bay,  cut  off  the  commu- 
nication with  the  country,  whereby  the  soldiery 


1775.]  MEASURES    OF    RESISTANCE.  33 

might  be  enabled  to  inflict  on  that  town  all  the  dis- 
tresses of  famine,  and  reduce  those  brave  and  loyal 
people  to  terms  degrading  to  human  nature,  repug- 
nant to  Christianity,  and  which,  perhaps,  might 
prove  destructive  of  British  and  American  liberty. 
"  Resolved,  likewise,  That  the  thanks  of  this 
Committee  be  returned  to  those  merchants  of  this 
place,  for  their  truly  worthy  and  patriotic  conduct, 
who  have  virtuously  refused  to  let  their  yessels  to 
transport  the  army  and  the  horrid  engines  of  war, 
for  the  detestable  purpose  of  destroying  his  Majes- 
ty's faithful  subjects  in  the  Massachusetts  Bay,  who 
are  a  people  well  known  to  have  been  constant  in 
supporting,  and  firm  in  defending  the  Protestant 
Succession,  as  settled  in  the  illustrious  House  of 
Hanover. 

'"Signed  by  order  and  in  behalf  of  the  Committee 
of  Mechanics, 

"  ABEL  HARDENBROOK,  Jr.,  Chairman." 

Whatever  might  be  the  degree  of  irritation 
caused  by  ministerial  measures  at  this  time,  or 
whatever  might  have  been  the  hopes  of  a  peaceful 
settlement,  the  prudent  leaders  of  political  move- 
ments did  not  shut  their  eyes  upon  the  difficulties 
which  they  must  be  prepared  to  meet  in  case  of  a 
rupture.  The  unprepared  state  of  the  country, 
and  especially  the  want  of  ammunition,  were  mat- 
ters of  extreme  anxiety  and  a  source  of  incessant 
affliction  to  Joseph  Warren.  All  that  he  could  do 
by  his  personal  means  he  did,  and  he  induced  his 


34  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

brothers  Eben  and  John  to  appropriate  a  large 
portion  of  their  small  paternal  estate  to  the  same 
purpose. 

Joseph  Warren,  too  much  engrossed  in  the 
affairs  of  his  country  to  attend  to  private  emolu- 
ment, deprived  also  of  the  partner  who  might  have 
aided  him  in  domestic  matters,  was  often  hard 
pressed  for  money.  He  was  of  a  free  and  liberal 
disposition,  and  never  acquired  any  rigid  notions  of 
economy.  It  was  owing  to  this  cause  that  he  left 
his  children  destitute. 

In  January,  1775,  impelled  by  the  necessities  of 
that  particular  period,  and  doubtless  supposing  that 
his  brother's  practice  was  more  lucrative  than  it 
was,  he  applied  to  him  for  payment  of  a  note, 
given  either  for  his  medical  tuition,  or  for  money 
borrowed  —  I  believe  for  the  former.  Perfectly 
ready  himself  to  give  his  bond  or  incur  a  debt,  if 
his  country's  good  required  it,  he  could  riot  under- 
stand his  brother's  objections  to  a  similar  course. 

At  this  time,  it  will  be  recollected,  Joseph 
Warren's  wife  had  been  dead  two  years,  his  chil- 
dren were  under  the  roof  of  their  grandmother, 
whose  husband  had  been  considered  "  opulent," 
"  passing  rich  on  forty  pounds  a  year,"  so  that  he 
had  never  felt  the  pressure  of  family  necessities. 

John,  on  the  other  hand,  had  been  earlier  thrown 
on  his  own  resources ;'  he  had  supported  himself 
in  college  partly  by  his  own  labor.  He  was  just 
entering  upon  a  professional  career,  and  he  looked 
with  horror  upon  the  idea  of  incurring  a  debt  He 


1775.]  JOHN   TO    JOSEPH    WARREN.  35 

wished  to  support  himself  honorably  by  his  own 
exertions,  keeping  clear,  on  principle,  of  all  pecun- 
iary obligation,  except  what  he  had  necessarily 
incurred  to  his  brother,  and  which  he  had  not 
expected  to  be  called  upon  to  pay,  at  least  until 
professional  success  rendered  it  easy. 

The  two  following  letters  are  characteristic.  The 
first,  as  well  as  the  letter  of  Miss  Grafton,  which 
will  be  given  hereafter,  shows  that  however  favor- 
able were' the  young  physician's  prospects,  money 
came  slow  and  hard.  It  was  not  easier  in  1775 
for  a  young  doctor  to  get  his  bills  paid  than  it  was 
fifty  years  later.  It  was  necessary  "  to  die  or  give 
up  practice"  in  order  to  collect  his  bills. 

In  these  days,  shrewd  young  practitioners  of- 
ten accomplish  the  same  purpose  by  establishing 
themselves  in  a  flourishing  village,  acquiring  pro- 
fessional experience,  and  a  certain  amount  of  dues, 
and  then  remove  to  a  distant  place,  leaving  their 
bills  with  an  attorney,  and  perhaps  some  of  their 
own  debts  unpaid. 

It  is  much  too  apt  to  be  the  case,  however,  that 
while  people  would  not  think  of  consulting  a 
wealthy,  distinguished  physician  without  a  good 
fee  in  their  hands,  they  imagine  the  young  and 
needy  ought  to  be  content  with  their  patronage, 
and  wait  their  convenience  for  payment.  It  must 
be  sometimes  an  aggravation  to  witness  the  ease 
with  which  a  sum  is  raised  for  the  consulting  phy- 
sician, in  a  case  of  alarm,  sufficient  to  pay  the 
annual  bill  of  the  regular  attendant  and  support 


36  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

his  family  for  a  month,  which  bill  the  patient  or 
his  family  have  been  unable  to  pay. 

The  letter  from  John  is  dated  January  29th:  — 

"  DEAR  BROTHER, —  I  received  your  letter  of  last 
week,  wherein  you  propose  my  giving  my  note  to 
Dr.  Greenleaf,  for  two  hundred  pounds  lawful 
money,  to  be  paid  in  two  years.  This  proposal,  I 
assure  you,  has  given  me  not  a  little  uneasiness.  I 
should,  however,  be  very  glad  to  comply  with  it, 
but  I  see  no  probability  of  my  doing  it  with  any 
prospect  of  paying  the  sum,  in  so  short  a  time,  or 
anything  near  it 

"  It  is  true  I  have  as  good  a  share  of  business  as 
I  could  reasonably  expect  for  the  time  I  have  been 
here,  but  I  cannot  collect  more  than  money  suffi- 
cient to  defray  the  charges  arising  from  clothing 
and  other  common  expenses.  I  am  not  able  to  pay 
anything  towards  my  board  or  apothecaries'  bill,' 
and  am  pretty  certain  that  at  the  expiration  of  the 
above  mentioned  term  I  shall  not  be  able  to  satisfy 
more  than  these  annual  demands,  not  to  mention 
what  I  shall  then  be  behindhand  on  these  accounts. 
The  people  here  are  accustomed  to  being  dealt 
with  so  very  easy  by  their  physicians,  Dr.  Holyoke 
having  reduced  their  fees  to  a  very  low  rate,  and 
never  having  troubled  them  for  their  accounts 
except  when  they  troubled  him  for  them.  A 
physician  who  should  charge  anything  nearly 
sufficient  barely  to  support  the  dignity  of  the 
profession,  or  should  attempt  to  make  any  innova- 


1775.]  LETTER    TO    JOSEPH.  37 

tions  upon  the  ancient  usage  of  the  town,  would  at 
once  throw  himself  out  of  practice.  The  note  has 
ever  laid  like  a  weight  upon  my  mind,  but  I  was 
always  in  hopes  that  you  would  not  have  occasion 
to  call  upon  me  to  discharge  it,  till  my  circum- 
stances should  render  it  easy  for  me  to  do  it. 

"You  will  consider  the  disadvantages  I  labor 
under.  To  enter  the  world  under  such  circum- 
stances is  really  discouraging.  I  should  be  in 
hopes  however  of  surmounting  my  difficulties  in 
time,  but  I  expect  to  undergo  many  anxious  days 
until  it  is  accomplished.  It  is  thought  considerable 
if  a  young  person  is  able  in  three  or  four  years 
after  entering  upon  business  to  maintain  himself, 
even  if  he  is  clear  of  the  world,  as  the  saying  is ; 
but  to  discharge  so  great  a  debt,  is  what  very  few, 
I  believe,  would  think  practicable  in  any  small 
number  of  years. 

"  You  very  well  know  by  experience  the  very 
critical  situation  which  those  of  the  faculty  are  in, 
with  regard  to  collecting  debts,  so  that  one  must 
either  die  or  throw  aside  business,  to  realize  any 
considerable  proportion  of  the  money  which  he 
has  in  book  debts,  and  you  are  sensible  that  a 
young  practitioner  must  meet  with  reduplicate 
difficulties  of  this  kind,  at  a  time  when  every  step 
is  to  be  construed  as  giving  a  stamp  to  his  future 
being  in  the  world;  and  Eternitati pingo,  though  in 
a  more  limited  sense,  should  be  the  motto  and 
regulator  of  his  conduct. 

"Depend  upon  it,  I  will  make  use  of  every  pre- 
caution in  my  power  to  get  out  of  debt  as  soon  as 


38  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGK  22. 

possible,  but  the  giving  a  note  to  Dr.  Greenleaf, 
would  involve  me  in  difficulties  from  which,  I  fear, 
I  should  never  be  able  to  extricate  myself. 

"  So  soon  as  I  am  able,  I  will  begin  to  remit  the 
money  to  you,  and  it  must  necessarily  be  some 
years  before  I  can  consider  myself  as  having  a 
farthing  of  my  own  ;  a  mortifying  reflection  this. 
My  business  rapidly  increases.  I  believe  I  shall  be 
able  to  do  as  well  as  can  be  expected  from  any- 
body in  my  circumstances.  I  have  the  happiness 
of  flattering  myself  that  I  have  many  good  friends 
here,  and  were  I  even  with  the  world,  should  not 
doubt  of  being  in  tolerable  circumstances,  unless 
some  unexpected  event  should  destroy  my  hopes. 
Of  this  I  am  certain,  that  I  have  neglected  no 
opportunity  and  spared  no  pains  to  render  myself 
as  independent  of  my  fellow-creatures  as  possible. 

"  The  principal  business  is  still  in  the  hands  of 
Dr.  Holyoke,  and  will  doubtless  remain  until  he 
is  incapable  for  business,  which  is  not  likely  to  be 
soon.  I  believe  I  have  the  next  greatest  share, 
but  it  cannot  be  supposed  that  my  families  should, 
in  general,  be  as  good  as  his. 

"  No  vessels,  whose  masters  I  have  any  knowledge 
of,  are  about  sailing  for  the  places  you  mentioned, 
nor  have  been  since  your  last  writing  to  me  abo"ut 
them.  If  you  can  trust  any  of  whose  character 
you  cannot  be  particularly  informed,  I  believe  I 
can  soon  secure  one  to  each  place.  I  have  been 
and  still  will  be  watching  for  one.  J.  W. 

"  P.  S.  As  to  Capt.  Luce,  I  immediately,  after 
receiving  your  letter,  made  strict  inquiry  after 


1775.J  HORROR    OF   DEBT.  39 

him,  but  found  he  was  not  here.  I  have  since 
found  there  is  one  of  the  same  name  from  Fal- 
mouth,  who  is  cast  away. 

"  Yours,  JOHN  WARREN." 

There  are  several  particulars  in  this  letter 
worthy  of  attention,  as  indications  of  character 
in  the  individual  I  am  portraying.  In  the  first 
place,  his  strong  aversion  to  debt,  the  heaviness 
with  which  it  weighed  on  his  mind,  the  horror 
which  he  felt  of  owing  so  large  a  sum  to  any  one 
but  his  brother,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  Joseph 
considered  the  amount  a  mere  trifle. 

Next,  the  letter  indicates,  or  shadows  out,  a 
degree  of  that  anxiety  with  regard  to  future 
means  of  support,  —  an  anxiety  produced  from 
some  physical  cause,  probably  hereditary,  which 
never  left  him  even  in  his  most  prosperous  days, 
and  continued  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

While  his  friends  were  congratulating  him  upon 
his  brilliant  prospects,  and  he  himself  felt  that 
they  were  all  that  he  could  expect,  he  still  felt 
that  there  were  many  difficulties  before  him. 

Most  young  men  of  ardent  temperament,  at 
this  day  at  least,  think  little  of  incurring  a  debt 
which  they  believe  that  their  abilities  will  soon 
enable  them  to  pay  off.  Whilst  John  Warren  was 
of  pleasant  address,  always  cheerful  in  conversa- 
tion, enjoying  wit  and  fun  with  as  keen  a  relish  as 
any  one,  he  had  always  a  distrust  of  himself,  a 
secret  feeling  of  doubt  as  to  the  future.  This  dis- 
trust, however,  never  palsied  his  powers,  but  led 


40  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

him  on  only  to  increased  exertions.  Possessed  of 
the  keenest  susceptibility,  he  was  very  strong  in 
his  feelings,  and  naturally  impulsive,  though  not 
sanguine. 

The  motto  he  had  chosen  and  the  manner  he 
applies  it,  shows  his  plan  of  life.  "  I  paint  for 
eternity  "  means,  as  he  limits  it,  the  determination 
not  to  aim  at  transient  success  and  rapid  emolu- 
ment, but  to  lay  the  solid  foundation  for  perma- 
nent eminence. 

There  is  another  point  of  view  in  which  we  may 
regard  this  letter  and  the  next.  We  look  back 
upon  the  men  of  the  Revolution  as  if  their 
thoughts  must  have  been  full  of  the  .  disturbances 
and  great  events  of  the  time,  and  we  feel  almost 
surprised  at  their  thinking  of  anything  else. 

Whilst  these-  two  writers  were  standing  upon 
the  edge  of  a  volcano  which  might  burst  out  at 
any  time  under  their  feet,  they  are  discussing 
matters  of  business,  and  calculating  upon  the 
future,  as  if  there  had  been  no  clouds  in  the  hori- 
zon. So  have  we  always  a  feeling  that  the  future 
will  be  like  the  present.  Changes  always  take  us 
by  surprise  when  they  come,  however  clearly  we 
have  foreseen,  or  even  labored  to  produce  them. 

It  is  very  certain  that  neither  my  father  nor  his 
brother  had  any  idea  or  wish  at  this  time  for  a 
separation  from  the  mother  country.  Still  per- 
fectly loyal  to  King  George,  their  animosity  was 
directed  against  his  Ministers  only,  to  whom  all 
injuries  were  attributed  ;  and  against  the  soldiers 
and  officers  whose  haughty  bearing  provoked  resent- 


1775.]  GENERAL   WARREN'S   ANSWER.  41 

ment,  and  who  were  regarded  as  the  instruments 
of  tyrannical  oppression. 

It  is  certainly  very  curious  to  see  Joseph  War- 
ren at  this  time,  July,  1774,  forming  a  partnership 
for  twenty-one  years  with  a  surgeon  in  his  Majes- 
ty's Regiment  of  Foot. 

Dr.  Holyoke's  place  did  not  soon  become  va- 
cated. In  October,  1828,  fifty-four  years  after  the 
above  letter  was  written,  I  had  the  pleasure  of 
going  through  the  wards  and  offices  of  the  Mas- 
sachusetts General  Hospital  with  him,  then  a  hale, 
active  man,  in  full  possession  of  his  faculties  of 
mind  and  body,  one  hundred  years  old  the  12th 
of  August  preceding.  He  had  retired  from  busi- 
ness the  year  before,  in  1827. 

Joseph's  answer  was  dated  18th  February,  1775: 

"  DEAR  JACK,  —  I  would  not  lead  you  (although 
I  stand  much  in  need  of  cash)  into  any  situation 
from  which  you  could  not  easily  bring  yourself, 
honorably  and  conveniently.  Mr.  Greenleaf  is  not 
in  want  of  his  money,  but  a  circumstance  is  soon 
likely  to  take  place  which  makes  it  proper  I 
should  not  be  personally  in  his  debt ;  but  I  can- 
not at  this  time  otherwise  discharge  it  than  by 
paying  him  in  notes. 

"  If  at  the  expiration  of  two  years  you  find  it 
inconvenient  to  pay  the  money,  I  will  pay  it  my- 
self, you  giving  me  a  note  therefor.  It  is  probable 
I  shall  do  it  in  less  than  six  months  from  this  date. 
I  therefore  think  it  can  be  no  unreasonable  ob-. 
jection  to  my  proposal,  which  I  would  be  glad 
might  be  complied  with  as  speedily  as  may  be. 


42  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AoE  22. 

"  Your  application  for  the  mare  I  could  not  re- 
ply to,  since  I  had  sent  my  horse  into  the  country. 
But  he  is  now  returned,  and  the  mare  is  ready 
to  be  sent  to  you  whenever  called  for.  Let  me 
hear  by  the  first  opportunity. 

a  Yours,  Jos.  WARREN." 

Joseph  Warren  evidently  considered  the  mere 
act  of  putting  one's  name  to  paper  a  very  trifling 
affair.  He  had  no  idea  of  giving  his  brother  any 
inconvenience ;  and  he  himself  would  pay  the 
note  if  it  should  not  be  easy  for  John.  Like  other 
people  of  ardent  disposition,  he  does  not  look  for- 
ward to  what  might  happen  even  within  six 
months. 

Yet  General  Warren  was  one  of  the  first  to  fore- 
see that  "  we  must  fight ; "  and  we  are  told  that 
he  spent  part  of  every  day  in  military  exercises. 
The  British  troops  were  quartered  in  Boston.  He 
was  well  known  to  their  officers,  and  he  could  not 
walk  in  the  streets  without  being  exposed  to  their 
insults  or  sneers.  It  was  while  walking  with  Mr. 
Eustis  one  day,  on  an  occasion  of  this  kind,  he  ut- 
tered the  words  :  "  These  fellows  say  we  won't 
fight.  Would  to  Heaven  I  might  die  knee  deep 
in  their  blood." 


CHAPTER  IV. 
1775. 

BATTLES  OF  LEXINGTON  AND  BUNKER  HILL. 

The  Three  Brothers  at  Lexington.  —  Narrow  Escape  of  Joseph.  — 
John  Warren  Surgeon  of  Colonel  Pickering's  Regiment.  —  Jour- 
nal. —  His  Brother  Missing.  —  His  Search  and  Inquiries.  -— 
Wounded  in  endeavoring  to  pass  a  Sentinel.  —  Confused  Reports 
of  the  Battle.  —  Some  Days  before  General  Warren's  Death  is 
ascertained.  —  Journal.  —  Indignation  against  the  British  Minis- 
try. —  Appointed  Hospital  Surgeon.  —  Arrival  of  Washington  at 
Camp.  —  Dr.  Church.  —  Letter  to  Miss  Grafton.  —  Letter  to  John 
Hancock.  —  Extracts  from  Journal. 


months  after  the  date  of  the  preceding 
letter,  on  the  19th  of  April,  the  three  broth- 
ers were  summoned  from  their  respective  abodes, 
Boston,  Salem,  and  Roxbury,  to  the  battle  of 
Lexington.  My  father  accompanied  Colonel  Pick- 
ering's Regiment,  and  encamped  with  it  at  Cam- 
bridge, for  a  fortnight  after  the  fight,  after  which 
he  returned  to  Salem. 

Joseph  Warren,  —  who  had  the  evening  before 
sent  as  messengers  Paul  Revere  and  William  Dawes 
to  Lexington,  to  give  notice  of  the  expected  at- 
tack, —  reached  the  ground  early  on  horseback, 
and  did  active  service  through  the  day,  regu- 
lating the  ardor  of  the  militia  and  bringing  it 
into  system.  He  had  a  very  narrow  escape  in 


44  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    AVARREN.  [AoE  22. 

this  fight,  a  ball  having  struck  the  pin  out  of  his 
earlock,  which  it  was  then  the  fashion  to  wear. 
He  was  in  every  skirmish  that  took  place  up  to 
the  17th  of  June. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  my  father  was  again  called 
from  Salem,  his  "beloved  Salem,"  his  brother Eben 
calls  it,  by  the  sound  of  the  firing  of  cannon,  and 
by  the  flames  of  Charlestown.  I  well  recollect  the 
pathetic  and  glowing  description  he  gave  me,  then 
a  child,  of  his  lonely  march  on  that  night.  Strong 
feeling  gave  him  a  power  of  eloquence  which 
nothing  written  can  possess.  I  give  the  account 
from  his  journal,  which,  though  printed,  has  never 
been  published  :  — 

"June  17,  1775. — This  day, —  a  day  ever  to  be 
remembered  by  the  United  American  Colonies, — 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  I  was  alarmed  with 
the  incessant  report  of  cannon,  which  appeared  to 
be  at,  or  near  Boston.  Towards  sunsetting,  a  very 
great  fire  was  discovered  nearly  in  a  direction 

O  it 

from  Salem  for  Boston.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
evening,  news  arrived  that  a  smart  engagement 
had  happened  in  the  afternoon,  on  Bunker  Hill,  in 
Charlestown,  between  the  King's  regular  troops 
and  the  Provincials.  Soon  after,  we  received  intel- 
ligence that  our  troops  were  repulsed  with  great 
loss,  and  the  enemy  had  taken  possession  of  the 
ground,  which  we  had  broke  the  night  before.  I 
was  very  anxious,  as  I  was  informed  that  great 
numbers  had  Mien  on  both  sides,  and  that  my 
brother  was  in  all  probability  in  the  engagement. 


1775.]  BATTLE    OF    BUNKER   HILL.  45 

I  however  went  home  with  the  determination  to 
take  a  few  hours'  sleep,  and  then  go  immediately 
for  Cambridge,  with  my  arms. 

"  Accordingly,  in  the  morning  about  two  o'clock, 
I  prepared  myself,  and  went  off  on  horseback,  and 
when  I  arrived  at  Medford,  received  the  melan- 
choly and  distressing  tidings  that  rny  brother  was 
missing.  Upon  this  dreadful  intelligence  I  went 
immediately  to  Cambridge,  and  inquired  of  almost 
every  person  I  saw  whether  they  could  give  me 
any  (information  of  him.  Some  told  me  he  was 
undoubtedly  alive  and  well,  others,  that  he  was 
wounded ;  and  others,  that  he  fell  on  the  field. 

"  This  perplexed  me  almost  to  distraction.  I 
went  on  inquiring,  with  a  solicitude  which  was 
such  a  mixture  of  hope  and  fear,  as  none  but  one 
who  has  felt  it  can  form  any  conception  of.  In 
this  manner  I  passed  several  days,  every  day's 
information  diminishing  the  probability  of  his 
safety. 

"  It  appears  that  about  twenty-five  hundred  men 
were  sent  off  from  the  ministerial  quarters  in 
Boston,  to  dispossess  a  number,  about  seven 
hundred  of  our  troops,  who  had,  in  the  course  of 
the  night,  cast  up  a  small  breastwork  on  the  hill. 
They  accordingly  attacked  them,  and  after  having 
retreated  three  times,  carried  their  point  (upon 
which  our  men  retreated  with  precipitation),  hav- 
ing lost  about  twTo  hundred  dead,  and  about  three 
hundred  wounded,  amongst  whom  were  a  consid- 
erable proportion  of  officers, —  Lieutenant-colonel 
Abercrombie,  Major  Pitcairn,  etc.,  a  dear  purchase 
to  them  indeed !" 


46  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

While  endeavoring,  on  this  occasion,  to  pass  a 
sentinel,  in  his  overwhelming  anxiety  to  ascer- 
tain his  brother's  fate,  Dr.  Warren  received  a 
thrust  from  a  bayonet,  the  scar  of  which  he 
bore  through  life. 

Much  has  been  done  of  late  years,  by  comparing 
different  statements,  to  reconcile  conflicting  ac- 
counts, and  obtain  clear  ideas  of  the  battle.  At 
the  time,  it  was  impossible.  The  whole  battle,  and 
in  particular  the  concluding  engagement,  when  the 
ammunition  of  our  men  was  exhausted,  and  they 
clubbed  their  muskets, —  mostly  destitute  of  bayo- 
nets, —  and  fought  hand  to  hand  ;  was  a  fierce  and 
confused  melee.  Each  man  was  too  much  engaged 
to  know  what  passed  around  him.  Each  had  a  dif- 
ferent story  to  tell.  Who  were  in  the  battle  ?  Who 
fell  ?  Who  commanded  ?  were  questions  no  one 
could  answer.  All  was  involved  in  _the  confusion 
of  an  irregular  fight,  and  in  the  smoke  of  burning 
Charlestown.  That  the  English  had  obtained 
possession  of  the  ground,  was  all  that  could  be 
known. 

Even  the  name  of  the  battle-ground  was  a 
mistake.  The  men  had  been  ordered  to  take 
possession  and  fortify  themselves  at  Bunker's  Hill. 
By  mistake  they  went  to  Breed's  Hill,  and  threw 
up  their  intrenchments,  so  that  in  the  morning  the 
British  commanders  found  them  in  so  commanding 
a  position,  that,  unless  they  could  be  dislodged, 
their  own  position  would  be  untenable.  The 
American  commanders  had  not  contemplated  so 
bold  a  step,  which  they  must  have  foreseen  would 


1775.]  BATTLE    OF    BUNKER    HILL.  47 

bring  on  an  immediate  engagement.  But  in  spite 
of  all  the  information  given  by  historians  of  the 
battle,  it  will  always  be  known  to  the  remotest 
times,  as  the  Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

It  was  several  days  before  my  father  could  as- 
certain the  fact  of  his  brother's  death.  He  was  ever 
accustomed  to  feel  more  for  others  than  for  himself. 
The  affliction  of  his  mother,  the  condition  of  his 
brother's  children,  now  completely  orphaned  and 
destitute,  the  loss  of  so  many  of  his  countrymen, 
not  only  produced  the  severest  grief,  but  excited 
the  utmost  indignation  against  those  in  the  mother 
country  who  had  counseled  measures  of  violence 
and  oppression,  as  well  as  those  who  were  the 
submissive  instruments  of  these  measures. 

It  is  difficult,  in  reading  the  history  of  these 
events  at  this  distant  period,  to  fully  realize  the 
irritation  produced  by  these  measures,  and  by  the 
insulting  demeanor  of  the  foreign  troops,  who 
regarded  the  Continentals  as  rebels,  and  were 
themselves  galled  by  the  reputation  in  which  they 
were  held. 

Some  passages  in  my  father's  journal  show  what 
were  his  feelings  at  this  period,  and  will  serve  of 
course  as  a  specimen  of  the  general  state  of  mind. 
It  should  be  recollected  that  the  indignation  thus 
strongly  expressed,  was  directed  neither  against 
the  king  or  the  English  people,  but  against  the 
advisers,  by  whom  it  was  supposed  that  monarch 
was  controlled.  I  believe  it  is  now  ppetty  well 
settled  by  English  writers,  that  the  perseverance 
in  acts  of  oppression  was  due  to  the  prejudices 


48  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

and  obstinacy  of  the  king  himself.  But  at  this 
early  stage  of  the  war  the  colonists  considered 
themselves  good  and  loyal  subjects  of  King  George. 

Addressing  the  ministry,  he  says :  "  0  ye  blood- 
thirsty wretches,  who  planned  this  dreadful  scene, 
which  you  are  now  forcing  your  blood-hounds  to 
execute,  did  you  but  feel  the  pangs  of  heartfelt 
pungent  grief  for  the  cruel  wounds  you  inflicted 
upon  the  tenderest  part  of  the  public,  as  well  as 
individuals,  you  would  have  execrated  those  dia- 
bolical measures,  which  by  your  counsels  have  been 
adopted,  and  precipitated  us  into  all  the  horrors 
of  civil  war. 

"  Unfeeling  wretches !  reflect  a  moment,  if  you 
have  still  one  feature  of  humanity  which  is  unob- 
literated  from  your  minds,  and  view  the  helpless 
orphan  bereft  of  its  fond  and  only  parent,  stript  of 
every  comfort  of  life,  driven  into  an  inhospitable 
wild,  and  exposed  to  all  the  misery  which  is  the 
result  of  your  brutal  violence,  and  forbear  to  weep 
if  you  can ;  but  I  defy  you  to  show  yourselves  so 
refined  in  your  darling  acts  of  cruelty,  as  to  be 
capable  of  supporting  the  shocking  reflection. 

"Here, stay  your  hands,  ye  miscreants  !  stay  your 
bloody  hands,  still  warmed  with  the  purple  fluid, 
and  ask  if  you  are  not  sated  with  the  inhuman 
carnage  ?  If  your  hearts  long  since  inured  to  view 
these  horrid  scenes,  can  do  so  without  emotion,  go 
on  then  ye  dastard  butchers,  let  desolation  and 
destruction  mark  your  bloody  steps,  where'er  your 
brave  opposers  are  by  fortune  destitute  of  proper 
arms  for  their  defense,  but  give  up  forever  your 


1775.]  JOURNAL.  49 

pretensions  to  honor,  justice,  and  humanity.  Know 
that  this  brave,  undaunted,  and  oppressed  people 
have  an  arm  which  will  soon  be  exerted  to  defend 
themselves,  their  wives  and  children ;  an  arm, 
which  will  ere  long  inflict  such  vengeance  on  their 
haughty,  presumptuous  foes,  as  shall  convince 
them  that  they  are  determined  that  British  cowards, 
though  their  number  be  as  the  sands  on  the  sea- 
shore, shall  never  subjugate  the  brave  and  inno- 
cent inhabitants  of  the  American  continent. 

"Cover  your  heads  with  shame,  ye  guilty 
wretches.  Go  home  and  tell  your  blood-thirsty 
master  your  pitiful  tale,  and  tell  him  that  the  laurel 
which  once  decorated  the  soldier  has  withered  on 
his  brow  upon  the  American  shore.  Tell  him  that 
the  British  honor  and  fame  have  received  a  mortal 
stab  from  the  brave  conduct  of  the  Americans ;  tell 
him  that  even  your  congress  have  but  served  to 
inspire  the  sufferers  with  fresh  courage  and  deter- 
mined revolution,  and  let  him  know  that  since  that 
accursed  day  when  first  the  hostile  troops  of  Great 
Britain  put  their  foot  on  the  American  shore,  your 
conduct  has  been  such  as  has  operated  in  a  contin- 
ued series  of  disgraceful  incidents,  weak  counsels, 
and  operations  replete  with  ignorance  and  folly. 
Tell  him  this,  ye  contemptible  cowards ;  hide  your- 
selves like  menial  slaves  in  your  master's  kitchens, 
nor  dare  approach  the  happy  asylum  of  once  ex- 
tinct liberty,  for  if  ye  dare,  ye  die." 

Such  were  the  strong  feelings  of  a  young  man 
of  extreme  susceptibility,  whose  indignation  had 
long  since  been  warmly  aroused,  who  had  taken  an 


50  LIFE    OF   DR.  JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

earnest  share  in  all  the  plans  for  resistance,  and 
was  now  smarting  under  his  own  family  sorrows 
and  those  of  his  friends  and  associates.  Under 
these  feelings  he  lost  no  time  in  offering  himself, 
arms  in  hand,  as  a  volunteer.  It  would  doubtless 
have  been  more  agreeable  to  him  to  have  served 
in  the  ranks.  We  shall  see,  hereafter,  that  at 
various  times  he  evinced  a  smothered  but  constant 
desire  to  let  fall  the  scalpel,  and  grasp  the  musket. 

But  there  were  those  at  camp,  who  knew  his 
medical  qualifications,  and  prevailed  upon  him  to 
accept  the  honorable  post  of  hospital  surgeon,  in 
which  his  abilities  would  be  of  much  greater 
advantage.  The  distress  of  his  mother,  also,  at  the 
idea  of  losing  her  younger  son,  as  she  had  the 
elder,  had  its  influence.  He  was  only  twenty-two 
years  old,  when  he  received  the  appointment  of 
senior  surgeon  of  the  hospital  at  Cambridge. 

His  prospects  of  a  quiet  and  lucrative  practice 
in  the  town  of  Salem,  among  a  people  to  whom 
he  had  become  fervently  attached,  and  whose 
respect  he  had  acquired,  were  now  at  an  end. 
Suddenly,  he  had  become  transferred  to  the  service 
of  his  country,  with  an  ample  field  for  unremitting 
labor  in  aiding  the  establishment  of  the  new  hospi- 
tal, and  in  attending  the  sick  and  wounded.  Dr. 
James  Thacher,  who  was  appointed  his  mate,  testi- 
fies to  the  esteem  in  which  he  was  held.  "  This 
gentleman  has  acquired  a  great  reputation  in  his 
profession,  and  is  distinguished  for  his  humanity 
and  attention  to  the  sick  and  wounded  soldiers, 
and  for  his  amiable  disposition." 


1775.]  BENJAMIN    CHURCH.  51 

On  the  third  of  July,  General  Washington 
arrived  in  Cambridge,  and  began  the  work  of  a 
thorough  organization  of  the  army.  A  Medical 
Board  was  formed,  and  sixteen  candidates  present- 
ed themselves  for  examination.  This  examination 
was  close  and  severe.  The  candidate  was  required 
to  evince  his  knowledge  of  anatomy,  physiology, 
surgery,  and  medicine.  Dr.  Thacher  tells  us  that 
six  were  privately  rejected. 

Dr.  Benjamin  Church  was  appointed  Director- 
general  of  the  army  hospitals.  He  was  a  dexter- 
ous operator,  and  he  had  held  offices  of  trust  among 
the  patriots.  He  held  that  of  director,  however, 
only  a  short  time.  He  was  detected  in  a  treason- 
able correspondence,  and  although  he  had  the  skill 
and  ingenuity  to  remove  the  proofs  of  his  guilt  and 
make  a  plausible  defense,  the  evidence  of  Paul 
Revere  is  sufficient  to  confirm  the  truth  of  the 
accusations  against  him.  He  was  tried,  convicted, 
and  confined  for  a  year,  but  was  afterwards  allowed 
to  leave  the  country.  The  ship  in  which  he  sailed 
was  lost,  and  he  was  never  heard  from  again. 

The  following  letter  to  a  friend,  Miss  Grafton,  of 
Salem,  seems  to  contain  an  allusion  to  this  subject. 
The  correspondence  which  led  to  the  discovery  was 
detected  in  July,  though  it  was  not  made  public 
until  October,  but  it  must  have  been  known  or  more 
than  suspected  by  the  medical  officers.  The  subse- 
quent letter  to  John  Hancock,  relates  more  fully  to 
this  matter,  which  threw  the  medical  department 
into  some  confusion.  The  letter  to  Miss  Grafton 
is  dated  Cambridge,  September  22,  1775  :  — 


52  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [Acs  22. 

"  ESTEEMED  FRIEND,  —  Amidst  the  hurry  and 
confusion  which  so  inseparably  attend  the  scenes 
of  war,  amidst  the  tempestuous  emotions  of  the 
human  soul,  whilst  the  sons  of  tyranny  and  vio- 
lence are  attempting  to  spread  horror  and  desola- 
tion all  around  them,  it  would  hardly  be  expected 
that  a  person  should  be  capable  of  paying  any 
considerable  degree  of  attention  to  the  common 
calls  of  private  business,  unless  it  be  those  narrow 
souled  wretches  whose  utmost  wishes  terminate  in 
private  interest,  and  their  personal  ease.  These 
are  motives  which  every  man  who  possesses  prin- 
ciples of  honor  and  generosity  would  despise  from 
his  heart,  and,  rather  than  adopt,  would  prefer 
death  in  its  most  terrible  forms.  That  there  are, 
however,  such  men  as  would  willingly  sacrifice  lives 
more  valuable  than  ten  thousand  of  their  own,  yea, 
would  even  consent  to  see  the  world  in  ashes,  and 
dance  with  transport  at  the  flames,  if  they  might 
establish  their  own  interest  upon  the  ruins,  is  a 
truth  to  which  the  unhappy  civil  war,  which  is 
now  shedding  the  blood  of  our  countrymen,  bears 
a  melancholy  testimony. 

"  I  have,  however,  you  see,  improved  a  few 
moments,  and  I  think  them  well  employed  too,  in 
sitting  down  to  write  a  few  lines  to  a  place, 
where  I  have  in  happier  times  which  are  now  past 
enjoyed  many  a  pleasant  hour  with  many  an 
agreeable  friend.  I  with  pleasure  recollect  them,  but 
though  I  with  reluctance  deny  myself  the  happi- 
ness of  peace  and  tranquillity  at  home,  yet,  so  long 
as  I  retain  the  least  spark  of  reason  or  sense,  I 


1775.]  LETTER   TO    JOHN   HANCOCK,  ESQ.  53 

shall  be  perfectly  calm  and  contented  under  my 
present  circumstances,  and  believe  me,  not  all  the 
luxuries  of  King  George's  palace  should  tempt  me 
to  an  exchange.  Amidst  all  the  miseries  which 
attend  the  destruction  of  the  sword,  I  am  and  shall 
be  happy ;  happy,  because  I  am  performing  my 
indispensable  duty,  and  I  declare  I  as  cheerfully 
submit  to  the  uncertain  fortune  of  desolating  war, 
as  I  would  offer  my  service  to  relieve  a  fellow- 
creature  from  the  exquisite  pain  of  a  most  danger- 
ous malady.  But  I  have  run  on  so  long  in  this 
strain,  that  I  shall  scarcely  be  able  to  say  all  I 
intended.  Be  so  kind  as  to  send  my  skeleton, 
black  jackcoat,  and  account  books,  by  Mr.  Very,  if 
possible,  this  week." 

The  letter  to  John  Hancock,  is  dated  October 
9th.  Hancock  was  at  Philadelphia,  as  delegate  to 
the  Congress  from  Massachusetts  :  — 

"  SIR,  —  At  the  request  of  a  number  of  gentlemen 
employed  in  the  American  hospital  at  Cambridge, 
I  have  been  prevailed  upon,  though  I  cannot  boast 
the  honor  of  a  personal  acquaintance  with  you,  to 
assume  the  freedom  of  representing  to  your  honor, 
as  President  of  the  grand  Congress  of  the  United 
Colonies,  some  inconveniences  under  which  we  la- 
bor; and  I  do  it  with  the  greater  confidence,  when 
I  reflect  upon  the  intimacy  of  that  friendship  which 
I  know  subsisted  between  you  and  a  person  whose 
fall  1  have  peculiar  cause  to  mourn.  Though  I 
most  sensibly  feel  the  complicated  loss  of  a  friend, 


54  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

a  patron,  and  a  brother,  yet  I  mean  not  to  avail 
myself  of  any  advantages  which  might  result  from 
my  near  connection  with  him,  in  my  present  appli- 
cation to  you. 

"  I  have  exerted  myself,  and  I  trust  to  some  valu- 
able purpose,  to  gain  an  ascendency  over  the 
movements  of  the  weaker  passions.  Though  I 
would  deprecate  the  lazy  apathy  of  the  Stoic,  yet  I 
would  give  a  kingdom  for  the  fortitude  of  a  philos- 
opher. I  cannot  think  with  some,  that  the  conso- 
lation which  is  so  much  talked  of  by  the  ancient 
philosophers  is  mere  empty  speculation,  or  the 
production  of  a  sanguine  imagination ;  for  though 
in  spite  of  our  utmost  exertions  to  oppose  the  me- 
chanical (if  I  may  so  call  it)  affection  of  the  pas- 
sions, it  will  at  times  beat  down  all  before  it,  like 
an  irresistible  torrent,  yet,  when  reason  once  re- 
sumes her  seat  in  the  human  breast,  'tis  ;  peace,  be 
still,'  arid  each  tumultuous  surge  complies. 

"  The  sincere  tears  of  a  sympathizing  country,  the 
heartfelt  satisfaction  arising  from  a  full  persuasion 
of  the  equity  of  that  contest  in  defense  of  which 
he  fell  a  sacrifice,  and  the  assurance  that  the  attes- 
tations of  thousands  of  unfeigned  patriots,  have 
erected  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  the  dead, 
which  shall  remain  decorated  with  the  unfading 
laurels  of  gratitude  and  applause  ;  whilst  the  guilty 
enemies  of  mankind  shall  hang  their  heads  with 
shame,  and  be  constrained  to  '  know  he  conquered,' 
—  have  in  some  measure  i  smoothed  the  face  of 
war,  and  made  e'en  horrors  smile.' 

"  When  I  am  pointed  in  imagination  to  a  com- 


1775.]  LETTER   TO    JOHN    HANCOCK,    ESQ.  55 

parison  of  these  solacing  circumstances  with  the 
accursed  retinue  of  excruciating  tortures  which 
attend  the  guilty  mind ;  or  with  that  deathless 
infamy  which  blasts  the  memory  of  the  execra- 
ble wretch  who  dares  to  act  confederate  with  the 
infernal  hosts,  in  the  black  design  of  betraying 
that  country  which  gave  him  birth  ;  I  almost  felici- 
tate myself  upon  the  advantage  of  the  contrast. 
The  event  which  has  given  origin  to  this  last 
reflection,  you  can  be  no  stranger  to.  It  is  a 
deplorable  truth  that  the  flame  of  indignation  has 
flashed  like  lightning  through  the  country.  God 
grant  there  may  not  be  cause  for  its  proving  more 

permanent 

"  Dr.  Foster  is  appointed  temporary  Director  of 
the  hospital,  and  the  care  which  in  consequence 
devolves  upon  him  renders  him  incapable  of  attend- 
ing to  the  business,  which,  as  I  have  the  honor  to 
be  next  on  the  establishment,  I  am  requested  to 
perform.  The  suspension  of  the  late  Director  from 
his  station,  has  put  us  into  great  confusion,  by 
reason  of  our  not  being  able  to  acquaint  ourselves 
with  the  particulars  of  the  institution.  We  cannot 
obtain  any  information  from  him.  We  have  been 
for  some  time  past  expecting  warrants  from  the 
Continental  Congress,  but  have  not  yet  received 
them.  We  should  be  extremely  gratified  by 
having  them  expedited  to  us,  or  some  directions 
which  might  remedy  the  inconveniences  we  expe- 
rience from  the  fluctuating  state  we  are  at  present 
in.  The  gentleman  above  referred  to  informed  us 
that  he  was  about  to  write  to  the  Congress,  recom- 


56  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AoE  22. 

mending  an  additional  appointment  of  two  to  the 
present  number  of  surgeons,  four  only  being  al- 
ready appointed,  by  which  means  it  happens  that 
two  gentlemen  at  present  officiate  as  chief  surgeons 
at  Roxbury,  under  an  uncertainty  with  regard  to 
their  continuance,  and  are  very  importunate  either 
to  be  confirmed  or  receive  a  dismission.  There 
are  four  houses  here,  appropriated  to  the  purpose 
of  receiving  the  sick  and  wounded  in  Cambridge, 
by  the  names  of  the  Washington,  Putnam,  Lee,  and 
Convalescent  Hospitals,  all  of  which  contain,  at 
present,  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  patients, 
being  all  the  sick  of  the  army  in  Cambridge, 
excepting  such  as  are  so  slightly  ill  as  to  be  at- 
tended with  convenience  in  camp.  The  number  is 
rather  upon  the  decrease,  and  but  a  small  number 
have  hitherto  died. 

"  Three  houses  are  improved  for  the  same 
purpose  at  Roxbury ;  the  number  of  sick  and 
wounded  I  cannot  ascertain.  Those  surgeons  who 
are  already  appointed  are  stationed  in  the  several 
houses  in  Cambridge ;  the  two  who  stand  candi- 
dates attend  to  those  at  Roxbury.  We  cannot  ob- 
tain information  whether  the  appointments  are  to 
receive  the  sanction  of  the  Congress,  or  whether 
the  Director  was  invested  with  a  discretionary 
power  to  make  them,  without  a  necessity  of  their 
being  ratified  by  any  other  authority.  The  only 
person  here  from  whom  we  could  expect  an 
answer  to  our  queries  is  secluded  from  the  whole 
world,  and  no  person  is  admitted  to  an  interview 
with  him. 


1775.]  LETTER    TO    JOHN    HANCOCK,    ESQ.  57 

"  Another  article,  to  which,  if  I  am  not  too  tedi- 
ous, I  would  beg  your  attention,  is  our  deficiency 
with  regard  to  medicines.  We  are  already  desti- 
tute of  a  number  of  capital  articles,  and  I  fear  the 
difficulty,  perhaps  the  Impracticability  of  importing 
a  sufficiency,  will  increase  the  scarcity.  It  is  an 
observation  of  an  approved  author,  that  there  is 
scarcely  an  inhabited  part  of  the  globe  that  is  not 
supplied  by  internal  sources,  with  all  the  necessa- 
ries of  life.  The  country  we  live  in  produces  as 
great  a  variety  of  vegetable,  animal,  and,  perhaps, 
mineral  substances,  as  any  we  are  acquainted  with. 
Sure  we  are  that  it  produces  all  the  necessaries  in 
a  dietetical  way.  Few,  I  fancy,  of  those  articles 
which  are  necessary  for  subsistence,  are  procured 
by  commerce.  If  Nature  has  wisely  and  admirably 
adapted  the  qualities  of  our  food  to  that  particular 
temperament  of  the  human  body  which  depends 
upon  the  constitution  of  the  climate,  together  with 
other  circumstances  naturally  connected  with  it, 
may  we  not  by  an  analogical  mode  of  reasoning 
infer,  that  she  has  been  equally  careful  to  make 
provision  for  the  demands  of  those  diseases  to 
which  we  are  incident.  A  considerable  proportion 
of  those  substances  which  have  either  been  ex- 
amined by  a  chemical  analysis,  or  by  reasoning 
a  posteriori  from  their  effects  upon  animal  bodies, 
have  been  found  to  be  powerfully  medicinal.  It  is 
well  known  that  researches  of  this  kind  have  been 
much  neglected  by  the  English  inhabitants  of  this 
continent.  Gentlemen  of  ample  fortunes  have  not 
been  willing  to  forego  the  pleasures  of  ease  and 


58  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

affluence  for  the  painful  labors  of  such  inquiries, 
whilst  those  in  more  indigent  circumstances  have 
been  necessitated  to  confine  their  attention  particu- 
larly to  employments  more  immediately  curative. 
It  may,  perhaps,  be  an  object  worthy  attention, 
whether,  at  a  time  when  the  most  inestimable 
blessing  we  enjoy,  next  to  that  for  which  we  are 
now  unitedly  contending,  is  exposed  to  the  most 
imminent  danger,  some  public  institution,  for  the 
purpose  of  prosecuting  inquiries  of  this  kind,  might 
not  be  of  utility,  not  only  considered  with  a  view 
to  the  present  exigency,  but  also  as  an  economical 
mode  of  policy  for  augmenting  the  importance  of 
the  colonies. 

"  I  would  humbly  submit  it  to  your  superior 
judgment,  whether  the  expense  of  such  an  estab- 
lishment might  not  be  amply  compensated  by  the 
advantages  that  would  (especially  if  it  should  be 
necessary  for  a  standing  army  to  be  kept  up  for 
any  considerable  time)  accrue  from  it.  It  is  the 
opinion  of  many  judicious  persons,  that  this  re- 
source might  be  used  to  such  advantages,  as  to 
produce  a  considerable  supply  of  valuable  medi- 
cines. But  I  suspect  that  no  very  rapid  progress 
will  be  made  in  this  branch  of  economy,  till  it 
shall  become  the  special  care  of  the  public.  Some 
few  articles  which  are  in  present  use  amongst  us, 
are  such  whose  virtues  have  been  hit  upon,  rather 
by  mere  accident,  than  any  intentional  inquiry  into 
their  medicinal  properties. 

"  A  variety  of  articles,  the  natives  of  this  country, 
might  be  mentioned,  which  are  indued  with  the 


1775.]  LETTER   TO    JOHN    HANCOCK,   ESQ.  59 

most  active  qualities ;  suffice  it  to  mention  one. 
The  bark  of  the  willow  root  has  been  found  of  late 
(and  I  have  repeatedly  experienced  it)  to  answer 
many  intentions  of  the  Peruvian  bark,  one  of  the 
most  important  articles  in  the  whole  materia  med- 
ica ;  and  of  which  the  demand  has,  of  late,  been 
so  great,  that  it  has  got  to  be  one  of  the  most  ex- 
pensive medicines. 

"  I  have  only  offered  a  few  hints  upon  this  sub- 
ject ;  not  doubting  but  you  will,  if  you  think  the 
matter  of  sufficient  importance,  pay  particular  at- 
tention to  it ;  sat  verbum  sapienti.  I  doubt  not  but 
your  candor  will  excuse  the  prolixity  and  tedi- 
ousness  of  my  letter,  when  I  plead  that  the  sole 
motive  which  induced  me  to  protract  it  to  such  a 
length  was  a  hearty  wish  to  contribute  my  mite 
to  the  salvation  of  my  country. 

"  If  your  honor  can  attend  to  the  care  of  trans- 
mitting the  regulations  for  the  hospital  to  us  at 
Cambridge  speedily,  it  will  greatly  conduce  to  the 
benefit  of  the  public.  In  the  interim,  I  am  your 
honor's  most  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

"  JOHN  WARREN. 

."  Hon.  Jonx  HANCOCK,  Esq." 

The  .willow  bark  was  introduced,  has  held  its 
place  in  our  Pharmacopoeia,  and  has  been  em- 
ployed with  undoubted  success  in  the  cure  of  in- 
termittent fevers.  A  crystalline  principle  has  been 
obtained  from  it,  denominated  salicene,  much  ex- 
tolled by  French,  German,  and  Italian  physicians, 
who  at  first  attributed  to  it  all  the  virtues  of  qui- 
nine. 


60  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

The  letter  appears  to  have  been  promptly  re- 
sponded to  by  the  appointment  of  Dr.  Jn.  Mor- 
gan, of  Philadelphia,  as  Director-general  of  the 
Hospitals  ;  who  was  immediately  ordered  to  Cam- 
bridge by  General  Washington  ;  and  who  entered 
very  promptly  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.  He 
commenced  a  new  arrangement  of  the  hospital, 
and  instituted  a  strict  examination  of  all  who  ap- 
plied for  the  offices  of  surgeons  or  mates. 

From  the  18th  of  June,  on  which  day  Dr.  War- 
ren records  the  commencement  of  intrenchments 
on  Winter  and  Prospect  Hills,  the  Journal  is  silent 
until  November.  The  arrangements  necessary  in 
establishing  a  new  hospital,  —  the  charge  of  the 
sick,  and  the  forming  of  acquaintances  with  his 
future  colleagues,  as  well  as  examining  applicants, 
left  him  little  time  for  keeping  a  daily  record. 
Autumnal  fevers  prevailed  very  much  in  the  army, 
and  dysentery  was  very  severe  and  very  fatal. 

On  the  4th  of  November,  he  records  the  news 
of  the  taking  of  Chamblee  by  the  French.  The 
siege  was  laid  on  the  16th  of  October,  and  the 
garrison  surrendered  as  prisoners  of  war  on  the 
18th,  after  forty  hours'  engagement  with  cannon. 

This  intelligence  was,  of  course,  very  encourag- 
ing to  the  Americans  at  this  moment.  Although 
of  no  direct  advantage  to  them,  the  news  of  a 
serious  disaster  to  their  powerful  enemy  was  in- 
spiriting to  those  who  had  been  in  the  habit  of 
believing  in  the  almost  invincibility  of  British 
arms. 

"  Friday ',  10//J  November.     A  party  of  regulars, 


1775.]  JOURNAL.  61 

supposed  about  two  hundred  and  twenty,  came  off' 
from  Charlestown  in  boats,  and  steered  to  Lech- 
mere  Point  at  high  water,  when  the  point  was 
surrounded  with  water,  so  that  our  forces,  in 
getting  up  to  them,  waded  up  to  their  shoulders. 
We  soon  drove  them  off,  with  Colonel  Thompson 
and  his  rifle  battalion.  We  had  one  man  badly 
wounded  with  grape  shot.  The  cannon  fired  very 
briskly  whilst  I  was  down  there.  They  carried  off 
with  them  eight  or  ten  cattle,  and  one  or  two  of 
the  sentinels,  with  the  guns  and  tent.  It  is  sup- 
posed our  muskets  wounded  numbers,  —  some  of 
our  men  believed,  badly. 

"November  2'2d.  This  day,  at  evening,  a  party 
of  men  under  command  of  Major-general  Putnam 
begin  an  entrenchment  on  a  hill  called  Cobble 
Hill,  northeast  of  Prospect  Hill." 

I  find  the  following  order  from  Dr.  Morgan 
to  "Dr.  Warren,  or  the  Orderly  Surgeon  of  the 
week  "  :  — 

"  As  Dr.  Foster  was  Orderly  the  last  week,  I 
take  it  for  granted  that  Dr.  Warren  is  for  the 
present. 

"The  Orderly  Surgeon  is  hereby  directed  to 
repair  immediately  but  with  all  secrecy  to  Cobble 
Hill,  with  five  Orderly  Mates,  a  case  of  amputating 
instruments  to  each  person,  plenty  of  lint,  tow, 
and  bandages,  for  a  brisk  action,  —  at  least  two  or 
three  hundred  if  in  readiness ;  a  case  of  crooked 
needles,  and  a  number  of  compresses.  Let  a  sec- 
ond surgeon  and  mates  be  ready  to  follow  if  sent 
for.  But  at  least  two  surgeons  and  the  remaining 


62  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  22. 

mates  should  stand  fast,  nor  by  any  means  leave 
the  hospital.  For  the  convenience  of  bringing 
the  above  apparatus,  apply  to  Mr.  Carries  to  rig 
out  a  chair;  and  by  no  means  spread  any  alarm 
or  suifer  more  mates  to  leave  the  hospital  than 
directed.  As  Mr.  Hammond,  at  Washington  House, 
expected  me  at  this  time,  let  him  know  I  can't  see 
him  until  to-morrow. 

Monday  evening,  G%  o'clock." 

It  appears  evident  from  the  letter  of  Dr.  Mor- 
gan, as  well  as  from  the  Journal,  that  a  pretty 
smart  skirmish  —  perhaps  a  second  Bunker  Hill 
conflict  —  was  expected.  Greatly  to  the  surprise 
of  the  Americans,  the  work  not  only  proceeded 
through  the  first  night  without  interruption  or 
annoyance,  but  the}''  were  allowed  to  resume  it ; 
and  they  completed  it,  on  the  second  night,  with- 
out receiving  a  single  shot.  It  was  said  to  be  the 
most  perfect  piece  of  fortification  that  the  Ameri- 
can army  had  constructed  during  the  present  cam- 
paign. It  received  the  name  of  Putnam's  impreg- 
nable fortress.  Washington  seemed  much  sur- 
prised at  the  inactivity  of  the  enemy,  which  he 
could  only  account  for,  by  supposing  that  they 
contemplated  some  important  enterprise.  The 
situation  of  the  American  army  at  this  moment 
was  exceedingly  critical.  It  is  probable,  however, 
that  the  unexpected  resistance  they  met  with  at 
Bunker  Hill  had  daunted  for  a  time  the  British 
commanders,  and  led  them  to  imagine  the  Ameri- 
can resources  much  greater  than  they  really  were. 


1775.]  JOURNAL.  63 

"December  16.  We  have  the  news,  though  not 
directly,  that  Quebec  has  surrendered  to  Colonel 
Arnold.  We  shall  soon  know  farther. 

'"•  19//Z.  They  threw  about  twenty  shells  from 
their  battery,  opposite  the  Point  on  all  the  preced- 
ing night." 

"  2Sth.  This  night  an  expedition  to  Bunker  Hill 
was  projected  by  General  Sullivan,  who  had  drawn 
out  one  hundred  and  seventy  volunteers  from  each 
regiment  in  his  brigade.  They  marched  near  the 
Neck,  whilst  another  party  from  Cobble  Hill  at- 
tempted going  over  upon  the  ice  ;  but  several  of 
our  men  having  unhappily  fired  their  guns,  and  the 
ice,  as  is  said,  not  being  sufficient  to  bear  them, 
the  expedition  failed. 

"  N.  B.  Even  after  the  setting  of  the  moon,  it 
was  much  too  light,  and  the  evening  remarkably 
calm.  The  attempt  was  made  about  three  o'clock 
in  the  morning." 


CHAPTER  V. 

JOURNAL. JANUARY,  1776. 

Journal  continued.  —  Visit  to  Salem.  —  Miss  Grafton's  Note.  —  Strict 
Medical  Examinations.  —  Dr.  Hayward's  Letter.  —  Dr.  Morgan's 
Letter  about  Purchases.  —  Miss  Morgan's  Letter.  —  Journal  con- 
tinued.—  John  Warren's  Deposition  about  Poisoned  Medicine.  — 
Feelings  at  Sight  of  the  Battle-ground.  —  Journal  resumed  and 
ended.  —  Washington  detaches  a  Regiment  to  New  York.  —  John 
Warren  sets  out  for  New  York,  May  11. —  Dysentery  among  the 
Troops  at  New  York.  —  Plot  formed  by  the  Tories.  —  Miss  Grafton'e 
Letter. 

66  TTOW  different  is  the  state  of  affairs  this 
New  Year  from  that  of  the  last !  A  whole 
empire  involved  in  the  calamities  of  civil  war ; 
Great  Britain  with  her  fleets  and  army  obstinately 
determined  to  reduce  the  colonies  to  absolute  sub- 
jection, and  the  colonies  resolutely  'determined, 
almost  to  a  man,  to  oppose  with  arms  their  ty- 
rannical depredations.  Blood  and  slaughter  are 
stalking  over  the  once  peaceable  shores  of  America. 
Affairs  remain  at  this  moment  very  peaceable. 
According  to  the  intelligence  from  Boston,  their 
number  in  the  town  cannot  be  more  than  six 
thousand,  and  about  six  hundred  at  Bunker  Hill." 

About  this  time,  my  father  found  leisure  for  a 
visit  to  Salem,  in  compliance  with  the  following 
note  from  Miss  Grafton  :  — 

"  My  compliments  with  the  rest  of  the  family  to 


1776.]  DR.  HAYWARD'S  LETTER.  65 

Dr.  Warren,  and  should  be  glad  if  he  would  come 
and  spend  an  evening  with  us,  if  he  has  not  forgot 
that  there  is  such  a  family  in  Salern.  This  note 
comes  by  Mr.  Foster,  a  very  agreeable  gentleman. 
He  is  with  us  at  present  —  with  whom  you  may 
spend  the  evening  —  with  yours,  etc." 

A  letter  from  Dr.  Lemuel  Hayward,  January 
23d,  is  addressed  to  Dr.  Warren,  at  Mr.  Grafton's, 
Salem.  Dr.  Thacher  has  portrayed  the  strictness 
of  the  surgical  examinations  at  this  time.  He  re- 
lates the  instance  of  a  candidate  under  examina- 
tion, who  was  agitated  into  a  state  of  perspiration, 
and,  on  being  asked  by  what  means  he  would  pro- 
duce a  sweat  in  the  treatment  of  rheumatism,  he 
replied,  "  I  would  have  him  examined  before  a 
medical  committee."  The  letter  shows  the  impres- 
sion that  prevailed  with  regard  to  these  examina- 
tions, and  the  anxiety  of  Dr.  Hayward,  lest  the 
candidates  he  was  interested  in,  should  be  fright- 
ened out  of  their  self-possession. 

"  SIR,  —  Dr.  Morgan  politely  invited  me  to  as- 
sist in  the  examination  of  the  mates,  but  as  Dr. 
Aspinwall  is  sick,  'tis  impossible.  Must,  therefore, 
beg  you  to  use  the  greatest  candor  towards  the 
gentlemen  that  wait  on  you  to-day.  They  have 
both  attended  the  hospital  with  the  greatest  fidel- 
ity, and  as  to  their  abilities  I  submit  to  you,  but  I 
presume  you  will  find  them  equal  to  their  place. 
I  was  going  to  ask  you  to  propose  questions  to 
them  in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  not  be 
daunted,  but  I  am  too  well  acquainted  with  your 


66  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

disposition,  not  to  expect  everything  that  I  can 
wish." 

A  letter  from  Dr.  Morgan,  January  31st,  finds 
him  still  at  Salem,  Boston  being  in  the  possession 
of  the  enemy,  Charlestown  burnt ;  Salem  must  have 
been  the  principal  mart  for  purchases. 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  received  yours  of  yesterday.  I 
am  afraid  of  not  being  able  to  meet  with  an  oppor- 
tunity of  answering  it,  as  I  know  of  no  conveyance 
by  which  to  send  it.  However,  shall  have  it  in  readi- 
ness, in  case  any  opportunity  offers.  Dear  as  it  is, 
I  would  have  you  engage  a  couple  of  sides  of  the 
leather,  which  you  say  the  saddler  says  he  can 
spare  you.  Nay,  if  he  can  make  shift  to  spare  a 
third  side,  I  would  be  glad  to  have  it,  as  I  fear  it 
will  not  grow  cheaper  by  delaying  to  get  it.  If 
you  think  the  woolen  webbing  strong  enough  for 
tourniquets,  I  should  be  glad  to  have  a  piece,  if  the 
price  is  reasonable ;  otherwise,  omit  it  for  the 
present,  or  secure  it  as  you  think  most  advisable. 
I  have  no  doubt  we  can  get  some  made  nearer  at 
hand  than  Salem,  by  taking  a  little  pains.  I  am, 
dear  sir,  your  most  humble  servant. 

JOHN  MORGAN." 

This  letter  shows  that  economy  was  duly  consid- 
ered in  the  hospital  arrangements.  The  spirit  of 
Washington  pervaded  every  department.  His 
habits  of  business  led  him  to  attend  to  minutiae,  so 
as  sometimes  to  give  annoyance  to  individuals 
who  were  willing  to  put  a  little  into  their  own 


1776.]  LETTER   FROM    MISS    GRAFTON.  67 

purses,  while  laboring  for  the  public  good.  Dr. 
Warren  seems  to  have  taken  the  advantage  of  a 
leisure  period  to  make  this  visit  to  Salem  for  neces- 
sary purchases,  and  for  settling  up  some  of  his 
affairs,  which  his  hasty  departure  must  have  left  at 
loose  ends.  Miss  Grafton  writes  to  him,  after  his 
return,  February  llth:  — 

"  Having  an  opportunity  by  Mr.  Very,  I  send 
you  your  box  of  medicines,  which  I  wish  safe  to 
your  hand.  I  sent  you  yesterday,  by  Mr.  Flagg, 
one  pair  of  boots  from  Mr.  Cheevers,  which  I  hope 
you  have  received.  Your  other  boots  and  shoes  I 
have  not  yet  received,  but  shall  take  care  to  send 
them  when  they  are  done,  by  the  first  opportunity. 
Molly  has  been  very  sick,  and  has  kept  her 
chamber,  ever  since  you  left  us,  but  we  are  in 
hopes  her  illness  is  going  off.  Had  it  continued, 
we  must  have  sent  for  you.  Oh  that  you  could 
abide  in  Salem !  But,  I  fear  we  shall  never  have 
that  pleasure  again.  I  wish  we  may,  but  if  not, 
we  must  be  content.  I  heartily  wish  you  happi- 
ness wherever  you  go,  and  a  blessing  attend  you. 
I  expect  to  hear  from  you  by  Mr.  Fox,  when  he 
returns.  Our  family  all  give  their  kind  love  to 
you,  particularly  Molly. 

"  P.  S.  I  send  you  a  mess  of  potatoes .  by  the  de- 
sire of  Captain  Foster.  These  potatoes  are  all  for 
you;  don't  give  any  of  them  away." 

Dr.  Warren  had  returned  to  Cambridge.  The 
season  of  comparative  quiet  was  over.  The 
Americans  were  beginning  to  prepare  for  active 


68  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

operations.  The  works  around  Boston  had  been 
made  very  strong.  He  continues  his  Journal :  — 

"  We  understand  that,  notwithstanding  the  mili- 
tary operations  of  the  day,  Mr.  Peter  Thacher, 
A.  M.,  delivered  a  very  elegant  and  spirited  oration 
to  commemorate  the  bloody  tragedy  of  the  fifth 
of  March,  1770,  at  the  meeting-house  at  Water- 
town  ;  and  that  it  was  voted  to  be  printed. 

"By  persons  from  Boston,  we  learn  that  the 
enemy  are  making  great  preparations  to  evacuate 
that  town ;  destroying  their  carriages  and  provi- 
sions of  all  kinds,  and  embarking  with  all  their 
ordnance  and  military  stores,  as  well  as  other 
effects  belonging  to  the  Tories;  together  with 
those  which  the  soldiers,  notwithstanding  the  ex- 
ertions of  their  general  to  prevent  it,  had  plun- 
dered from  the  houses  which  were  vacated.  In 
consequence  of  this  intelligence,  together  with 
other  contained  in  the  packet  for  General  Howe, 
taken  by  our  privateer,  our  army  is  ordered  to 
prepare  for  marching. 

"  15/^.  The  rifle  battalion,  under  Colonel  Thomp- 
son, march  from  Cambridge,  as  it  is  said,  for  New 
York." 

It  was  now  ascertained  that  the  enemy  were 
making  active  preparations  to  evacuate  the  town  ; 
— a  step,  which  it  seems,  General  Howe  had  re- 
solved upon  some  time  before.  General  Washing- 
ton continued  on  his  guard ;  taking  steps  to  accel- 
erate their  motions.  On  the  16th  March,  a  strong 
detachment  was  sent  to  Nook's  Hill  to  fortify  it. 
The  English,  having  cannonaded  it  through  the 


1776.]  JOURNAL.  69 

night  without  effect,  resolved  to  evacuate  the 
town  without  delay. 

This  was  soon  after  accomplished  without  oppo- 
sition from  Washington,  and  my  father  had  an 
opportunity  of  witnessing  the  condition  of  their 
deserted  camps.  He  gives  an  interesting  account 
of  the  result  of  his  observation. 

Journal,  March  17th.  "  This  morning,  all  the 
soldiers  belonging  to  Bunker  Hill  were  seen  to  be 
marching  towards  the  Ferry ;  soon  after  which, 
two  men  went  upon  the  hill,  and  finding  the  forts 
entirely  deserted  by  the  enemy,  gave  a  signal. 
Upon  this,  a  body  of  our  forces  went  in  and  took 
possession  of  Charlestown.  At  the  same  time,  two 
or  three  thousand  men  were  paraded  at  the  boats 
at  Cambridge,  for  the  purpose  of  going  to  Boston? 
if  there  should  appear  any  possibility  of  opposi- 
tion from  the  regulars.  The  boats  carried  the 
men  to  Sewall's  Point,  where  they  landed.  Upon 
intelligence  received  from  the  selectmen,  who  had 
come  out  from  Boston,  that  all  the  troops  had  left, 
only  a  small  body  of  men,  who  had  had  the  small- 
pox, were  selected  from  several  regiments  to  take 
possession  of  the  heights  in  town.  Being  one  of 
the  party,  by  permit  from  the  general,  I  had  an 
opportunity  of  seeing  everything,  just  as  it  was 
left  about  two  hours  before,  by  the  enemy.  Two 
redoubts,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Mi ,  ap- 
peared to  me  strong.  There  were  two  or  three 
half-moons  at  the  hill,  at  the  bottom  of  the  com- 
mon, for  small  arms,  and  there  were  no  embrasures 
at  the  redoubts  above  mentioned. 


70  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

"Just  by  the  shore,  opposite  Lechmere  Point,  is 
a  bomb-battery,  lined  with  plank,  and  faced  with  a 
parapet  of  horse-dung,  being  nothing  but  a  simple 
line.  Near  it  lies  a  thirteen-inch  mortar,  a  little 
moved  from  its  bed.  This  is  an  exceedingly  fine 
piece,  being,  as  I  am  sure,  seven  and  a  half  inches 
thick  at  the  muzzle,  and  near  twice  that  over  the 
chamber,  with  an  iron  bed  all  cast  as  one  piece. 
The  touch-hole  was  spiked.  Just  above  it,  upon 
the  ascent  of  the  hill,  was  a  three  gun  battery  of 
thirty-two  pounders.  The  cannon  are  left  spiked 
up,  and  shot  driven  into  the  bores.  There  was 
only  a  simple  line,  being  plank  filled  with  dirt. 

"Upon  Beacon  Hill  were  scarcely  more  than  the 
fortifications  of  nature,  —  a  very  insignificant,  shal- 
low ditch,  with  a  few  short  pickets,  a  platform,  and 
one  twenty-four  pounder,  which  could  not  be 
brought  to  bear  upon  any  part  of  the  hill.  This 
was  left  spiked  up,  and  the  bore  crammed. 

"  On  Copp's  Hill,  at  the  North,  was  nothing  more 
than  a  few  barrels  filled  with  dirt,  to  form  para- 
pets, and  three  twenty  pounders  upon  platforms, 
left  spiked  and  crammed.  All  these,  as  well  as 
the  others,  were  on  carriages.  The  parapet  on 
this  fort,  and  on  Beacon  Hill,  did  not  at  all  cover 
the  men  who  should  work  the  cannon.  There  was 
a  small  redoubt  behind  for  small  arms,  —  very 
slender,  indeed. 

"At  Fort  Hill,  there  was  only  five  lines  of  barrels 
filled  with  earth,  very  trifling,  indeed.  Upon  the 
Neck,  the  works  were  strong,  consisting  of  re- 
doubts ;  numbers  of  lines,  with  embrasures  for 


1776.]  JOURNAL.  71 

cannon,  a  few  of  which  were  left  as  the  others ;  a 
very  strong  work  at  the  old  fortification,  and 
another  near  the  Haymarket.  All  these  were 
ditched  and  picketed.  At  Hatch's  Wharf  was  a 
battery  of  rafters,  with  dirt  and  two  twelve  pound- 
ers left  as  the  others.  One  of  these  I  saw  drilled 
out,  and  cleaned  for  use,  without  damage. 

"  A  great  number  of  other  cannon  were  left  at 
the  north  and  south  batteries,  with  one  or  both 
trunnions  beat  off;  shot  and  shells  in  divers  parts 
of  the  town  ;  some  cartridges ;  great  quantities  of 
wheat,  hay,  oil,  horses,  and  other  articles,  to  the 
amount  of  a  great  sum.  The  houses,  I  found  to  be 
considerably  abused  inside,  where  they  had  been  in- 
habited by  the  common  soldiery;  but  the  external 
parts  of  the  houses  made  a  tolerable  appearance. 
The  streets  were  clean,  and  upon  the  whole,  the 
town  looks  much  better  than  I  expected.  Several 
hundreds  of  houses  were  pulled  down,  but  these 
were  very  old  ones.  The  inhabitants,  in  general, 
appeared  to  rejoice  at  our  success,  but  a  consider- 
able number  of  tories  have  tarried  in  the  town,  to 
throw  themselves  upon  the  mercy  of  the  people. 
The  others  are  aboard  with  the  shipping,  all  of 
which  now  lies  before  the  castle.  They  appear  to 
have  gone  off  in  a  hurry,  in  consequence  of  our 
having,  the  night  before,  erected  a  fort  upon  Nook 
Hill,  which  was  very  near  the  town.  Some  cannon 
were  fired  from  their  lines,  even  this  morning,  to 
the  Point. 

"  We  now  learn  certainly,  that  there  was  an  inten- 
tion, in  consequence  of  a  court  martial,  held  upon 
the  occasion  of  our  taking  possession  of  Dorchester 


72  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

Hills,  to  make  an  attack  ;  and  three  thousand  men, 
under  the  command  of  Lord  Percy,  went  to  the 
castle  for  the  purpose.  It  was  the  intention  to 
have  attacked  us,  at  the  same  time,  at  Roxbury 
lines.  It  appears  that  General  Howe  had  been 
very  careful  to  prevent  his  men  from  committing 
depredation,  and  that  he,  with  the  other  officers, 
had  a  high  opinion  of  General  Washington ;  of  the 
army  in  general  much  higher  than  formerly. 
Lord  Percy  said,  he  never  knew  us  do  a  foolish 
action  yet,  and,  therefore,  he  believed  we  would 
not  induce  them  to  burn  the  town,  by  firing  upon 
the  fleet.  They  say  they  shall  come  back  again 
soon.  The  small-pox  is  in  about  a  dozen  places  in 
town. 

"  '2Qth.  This  evening  they  burn  the  castle,  and 
demolish  it,  by  blowing  up  all  the  fortifications 
there.  They  leave  not  a  building  standing. 

"  21sjf.  Our  men  go  upon  the  castle,  and  begin 
to  erect  new  fortresses,  as  they  had  begun  a  day  or 
twro  before,  on  Fort  Hill.  The  fleet  all  fall  down 
into  Nantasket  Road.  The  winds  have  been  fair 
for  them  to  sail,  but  their  not  embracing  the  oppor- 
tunity favors  a  suspicion  of  some  intended  attack. 
It  seems,  indeed,  very  improbable,  that  they  will 
be  willing  to  leave  us  in  so  disgraceful  a  manner  as 
this.  It  is  very  surprising  that  they  should  not 
burn  the  town,  when  they  had  it  so  entirely  in  their 
power  to  do  it.  The  soldiers,  it  appears,  were  much 
dissatisfied  at  being  'obliged  to  leave  the  town, 
without  glutting  their  revengeful  tempers  with  the 
blood  of  the  Yankees. 

"This  day  I  visit  Charlestown,  and  a  mostmelan- 


1776.]  JOURNAL.  73 

choly  heap  of  ruins  it  is.  Scarcely  the  vestiges 
of  those  beautiful  buildings  remain  to  distinguish 
them  from  the  mean  cottages.  The  hill,  which 
was  the  theatre  upon  which  the  bloody  tragedy 
of  the  17th  of  June  was  acted,  commands  the 
most  affecting  view  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  The 
walls  of  magnificent  buildings  tottering  to  the 
earth  below;  above,  a  great  number  of  rude 
hillocks,  under  which  are  deposited  the  remains,  in 
clusters,  of  those  deathless  heroes,  who  fell  in  the 
field  of  battle. 

"The  scene  was  inexpressibly  solemn,  when  I 
considered  myself  as  walking  over  the  bones  of 
many  of  my  worthy  fellow-countrymen,  who 
jeoparded  and  sacrificed  their  lives  in  these  high 
places.  When  I  considered  that,  perhaps,  whilst  I 
was  musing  on  the  objects  around  me,  I  might  be 
standing  over  the  remains  of  a  dear  brother, 
whose  blood  had  stained  these  hallowed  walks, 
writh  what  veneration  did  this  inspire  me  !  How 
many  endearing  scenes  of  fraternal  friendship,  now 
past  and  gone  forever,  presented  themselves  to  my 
view !  But  it  is  enough.  Oh,  may  our  arms  be 
strengthened  to  fight  the  battles  of  our  God ! 

"When  I  came  to  Bunker  Hill,  I  found  it 
exceeding  strong,  the  front  parapet  about  thirteen 
feet  high  from  the  bottom  of  the  trench,  composed 
of  earth  contained  in  plank,  supported  by  huge 
timber,  with  two  look-outs  upon  the  top.  In  the 
front  of  this,  were  two  bastions,  and  a  semicircular 
line,  with  very  wide  trenches  and  very  long  pickets, 
as  well  as  a  trench  within  the  causeway,  was  secured 
with  a and  brush.  All  that  part  of  the 


74  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  23. 

main  fort  which  was  not  included  with  high  works, 
as  above  mentioned,  —  viz.,  the  rear,  —  was  se- 
cured with  another  parapet,  with  a  trench  pick- 
eted inside  as  well  as  out.  There  was  a  half-moon 
which  commanded  the  river,  at  the  side.  There 
was,  morever,  a  block-house  upon  School-house 
Hill,  inclosed  by  a  very  strong  fence,  picketed, 
and  a  dungeon  and  block-house  upon  Breed's  Hill, 
inclosed  in  a  redoubt  of  earth,  with  trenches  and 
pickets.  The  works  which  had  been  cast  up  by 
our  men,  were  entirely  leveled." 

It  is  evident  that,  at  this  time,  the  body  of 
Joseph  Warren  had  not  been  discovered.  He  was 
buried  hastily  in  the  trenches,  on  the  morning 
after  the  battle.  Some  time  after,  an  Englishman, 
who  had  witnessed  the  burial,  informed  the  brothers 
of  the  locality,  and  my  father  and  his  brother  Eben 
went  with  him  to  the  spot,  where  the  remains  were 
disinterred,  recognized,  and  brought  to  the  State 
House.  From  here,  they  were  carried  with  mili- 
tary and  masonic  honors  to  the  King's  chapel,  and 
deposited  in  the  tomb  of  Judge  Minot. 

It  was  not  intended  that  all  the  materials  left 
behind,  should  benefit  the  Continental  troops.  My 
father  had  occasion  to  make  the  following  de.posi- 
tion,  before  James  Otis,  Esq.  :  — 

"I,  John  Warren,  of  Cambridge,  physician, 
testify  and  say,  that  on  or  about  the  twenty-ninth 
day  of  March  last  past,  I  went  into  the  work-house 
of  the  town  of  Boston,  lately  improved  as  a  hospi- 
tal' by  the  British  troops,  stationed  in  said  town, 
and,  upon  examining  into  the  state  of  a  large 


1776.]  JOURNAL.  75 

quantity  of  medicine,  there  by  them  left,  particu- 
larly in  one  room  supposed  to  have  been  by  them 
used  as  a  medicinal  store-room,  I  found  a  great 
variety  of  medicinal" articles  lying  upon  the  floor, 
some  of  which  were  contained  and  secured  in 
papers,  whilst  others  were  scattered  upon  the 
floor,  loose.  Amongst  these  medicines,  I  observed 
small  quantities  of  what,  I  supposed,  was  white 
and  yellow  arsenic  intermixed ;  and  then  received 
information  from  Dr.  Daniel  Scott,  that  he  had 
taken  up  a  large  quantity  of  said  arsenic  from  over 
and  amongst  the  medicine,  and  had  collected  it 
chiefly  in  large  lumps,  and  secured  it  in  a  vessel. 
Upon  receiving  this  information,  I  desired  him  to 
let  me  view  the  arsenic,  with  which  he  complied, 
and  I  judged  it  to  amount  to  about  the  quantity  of 
twelve  or  fourteen  pounds.  Being  much  surprised 
by  this  extraordinary  intelligence,  I  more  minutely 
examined  the  medicines  on  the  floor,  and  found 
them  to  be  chiefly  capital  articles,  and  those  most 
generally  in  great  demand  ;  and,  judging  them  to 
be  rendered  entirely  unfit  for  use,  I  advised  Dr. 
Scott  to  let  them  remain,  and  by  no  means  meddle 
with  them,  as  I  thought  the  utmost  hazard  would 
attend  the  using  of  them.  They  were  accordingly 
suffered  to  remain,  and  no  account  was  taken  of 
them.  JOHN  WARREN. 

"  COLONY  OF  MASSACHUSETTS  BAY,  WATERTOWN,  ss. 
"April  3d,  1776. 

"  Then  John  Warren  made  solemn  oath  to  the 
truth  of  the  above  written  deposition. 

"  Before  me,  JAMES  OTIS, 

"  Justice  of  Peace  through  the  said  Colony." 


76  LIFE'  OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

The  depositions  of  Daniel  Scott  and  Frederick 
Ridgely  were  also  taken,  and  ordered  by  the  Gene- 
ral Court  to  be  published  in  the  Watertown  news- 
paper. 

English  and  foreign  medicines  were,  as  we  have 

l_>  O  9 

seen,  greatly  in  demand,  and  extensive  injury 
might  have  been  done,  by  the  use  of  those  left  in 
the  condition  above  described.  But  those  injured 
would  only  have  been  the  invalided,  upon  whom 
civilized  nations  do  not  make  war,  so  that  this 
could  hardly  have  been  the  act  of  British  officers, 
medical  officers,  especially.  It  is  much  more 
probable  that  it  was  the  malice  of  subordinates 
or  camp  followers. 

The  recent  sad  experiences  of  many,  will  lead 
them  to  realize  somewhat  of  the  feelings  with  which 
Dr.  Warren  viewed  the  battle-ground  of  Bunker 
Hill.  Indignation  at  the  ministerial  measures 
which  had  caused  the  devastation  before  him,  some 
pride  at  the  successful  or  obstinate  resistance  which 
had  been  made  to  the  oppressors,  the  feeling  of  his 
own  loss,  and  the  sufferings  of  his  mother,  blended 
with  exaltation  in  the  glory  of  his  brother,  the 
consciousness  that  that  brother  had  well  done  his 
work,  and  laid  with  his  blood  the  foundation  for 
American  freedom;  these  feelings  were  combined 
with  hopes  and  fears  for  the  issue  of  the  struggle 
just  commenced.  The  view  before  him,  displayed 
what  a  few  months  before  could  hardly  have  been 
contemplated  in  the  imagination  —  the  stern  reali- 
ties of  war,  stripped  from  its  fierce  excitement. 

Journal,  March  24^.  "A  fort  is  ordered  to  be 
erected  upon  Charlestown  Point,  immediately,  and 


1776.]  DR.    WARREN    AT   BUNKER   HILL.  77 

the  works  of  the  enemy  upon  Boston  Neck  to  be 
immediately  leveled.  The  army  is  also  ordered 
to  be  in  readiness  for  the  enemy,  as  the  tarrying 
in  Nantasket  Roads,  after  so  fair  an  opportunity  of 
sailing,  gives  us  reason  to  suspect  them. 

"  26//J.  About  this  time,  the  chief  part  of  the 
enemy's  fleet  put  off  under  sail,  it  is  generally  sup- 
posed, immediately  for  Halifax.  The  erecting  of  a 
fort  upon  Fort  Hill,  goes  on  slowly,  but  it  will  be 
very  strong." 

As  soon  as  the  enemy  manifested  the  intention 
of  evacuating  Boston,  on  the  15th  of  March,  Gen- 
eral Washington  detached  the  rifle  regiment  of 
Colonel  Thompson,  from  Cambridge,  to  proceed  to 
New  York,  which  he  thought  probable  would  be 
the  next  destination  of  the  fleet.  He  could  not 
easily  bring  himself  to  believe  that  the  British 
commanders  would  go  away,  without  making  some 
attempt  at  retrieving  their  ill  success,  and  it  was 
thought,  for  some  time,  that  they  might  return. 

It  is  very  possible  that  they  may  have  delayed, 
in  the  hope  of  taking  advantage  of  any  careless- 
ness or  neglect,  which  the  joy  of  deliverance  from 
the  hostile  forces  might  occasion,  but  Washington 
was  of  too  wary  a  nature  to  give  easy  credence  to 
appearances.  Boston  was  put  at  once  into  a  state 
of  defense.  The  militia  and  volunteers  from  the 
neighboring  country  were,  however,  considered 
sufficient  for  its  protection,  and  the  army  pro- 
ceeded by  detachments  to  New  York.  Washing- 
ton arrived  there  on  the  13th  of  April. 

All  the  sick,  wounded,  and  invalids,  were  left 


78  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  I  AGE  23. 

behind  in  the  hospital  at  Cambridge.  My  father, 
and  some  of  the  other  surgeons  were,  therefore, 
detained  there,  until  the  llth  of  May,  when  he 
set  out,  probably  on  horseback,  for  New  York,  in 
company  with  Dr.  McKnight,  Blanchard,  and 
James  Clark. 

The  army  had  arrived  in  New  York  in  perfect 
health,  and  at  first,  took  up  their  quarters  in 
barracks,  and  in  the  houses  of  the  citizens.  About 
the  first  of  May,  they  all  went  into  tents,  with  the 
exception  of  the  twenty-second  regiment,  which, 
for  want  of  tents,  continued  in  their  quarters  in 
Smith  Street. 

About  the  middle  of  the  month,  over  one 
hundred  men  were  taken  down  with  dysentery  in 
the  space  of  one  week.  There  was  not  a  case 
besides,  in  the  army  or  city.  Those  who  lived  in 
the  same  street,  many  in  the  same  houses,  were 
entirely  free  from  it. 

On  inquiry,  Dr.  Beardsley,  the  surgeon  of  the 
regiment,  who  gives  this  account  in  a  private 
letter,  ascertained  that  those  among  whom  this 
disease  prevailed,  lodged  either  in  garrets  or  under- 
ground rooms,  which  were  fewer  than  usual,  in 
proportion  to  the  number  of  occupants.  The 
cause  of  the  disease,  therefore,  was  the  close  and 
putrid  air  of  these  rooms. 

On  Dr.  Beardsley's  representing  the  matter  to 
the  Colonel,  Samuel  Wyllis,  he  ordered  the  men, 
both  sick  and  well,  to  be  removed  into  larger  and 
more  airy  apartments.  The  effect  was  immedi- 
ately apparent.  No  more  were  taken  ill,  and  those 


1776.]  TORY    PLOT.  79 

previously  ill  recovered  with  the  exception  only, 
of  one  or  two  deaths. 

These  circumstances  are  worth  noting,  as 
bearing  upon  the  condition  of  our  army  at  the 
time,  and  as  showing  the  superior  healthiness  of 
camping  in  tents,  to  lodging  in  houses,  where 
troops  are  liable  to  be  placed  in  crowded,  ill  venti- 
lated rooms.  They  furnish  also  a  good  hint  with 
regard  to  the  treatment  of  dysentery,  which  may 
not  be  always  sufficiently  regarded.  Dysentery 
was  the  most  formidable  disease  of  our  army  at 
the  East.  In  Roxbury  and  Cambridge,  it  prevailed 
extensively.  We  can  hardly  realize  now,  how 
much  this  disease  was  dreaded  in  the  time  of  my 
father.  In  the  army,  at  least,  it  had  all  the  char- 
acters of  contagion. 

About  the  middle  of  June,  a  plot  was  discovered 
in  New  York,  formed  by  the  tories.  They  designed 
to  take  up  arms  suddenly,  and  cooperate  with  the 
British  troops  on  their  arrival.  Governor  Tryon, 
who  had  taken  refuge  on  shipboard,  the  mayor  of 
New  York,  and  some  of  Washington's  own  body- 
guard, were  involved.  The  general,  it  is  supposed, 
was  to  be  the  first  victim.  He,  however,  received 
seasonable  information;  the  mayor,  David  Mat- 
thews, and  other  suspected  persons  were  arrested. 
Thomas  Hickey,  one  of  the  body-guard,  was  tried, 
convicted,  and  executed.  The  plot  was  thus  frus- 
trated, but  it  produced  the  greatest  excitement  all 
over  the  country,  and  the  wildest  rumors  prevailed 
in  regard  to  it. 

The  subject  is  alluded  to,  in  the  next  letter  from 


80  LIFE   OF   DR.  JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

Miss  Grafton.  It  may  possibly  be  thought  that  I 
give  too  many  private  letters,  and  some  of  no  great 
importance,  but  it  is  by  showing  the  familiar  inter- 
course held  with  friends,  —  by  showing  how  those 
friends  acted,  and  spoke,  or  wrote,  —  that  we  give 
the  best  idea  of  the  person  himself.  We  show  not 
only  himself,  but  the  friends  with  whom  he  held 
converse,  and  how  they  regarded  him.  It  is  possi- 
ble also,  that  there  may  be  friends  or  descendants 
of  these  writers,  who  rnay  take  a  personal  inter- 
est in  these  letters.  This  letter  is  dated  July  6. 

"  MUCH  ESTEEMED  FRIEND,  —  I  received  your  kind 
and  agreeable  letter,  to  the  great  joy  and  satisfac- 
tion of  all  the  family,  for  we  longed  to  hear  from 
you.  The  great  distance  we  are  at,  don't  make 
us  unmindful  of  you,  for  we  daily  think  and  talk 
of  you,  and  should  be  exceedingly  glad  to  see  you, 
but  that  I  don't  expect,  at  present.  Oh  that  this 
unnatural  war  was  at  an  end,  which  separates 
friends  and  acquaintances  ;  that  we  might  have  a 
happy  meeting,  and  Salem  be  your  happy  seat. 

"  But  oh,  my  dear  friend,  I  tremble  and  fear  for 
you,  in  the  day  of  battle.  But  I  pray  the  God  of 
heaven  to  preserve  and  keep  you  from  every 
evil  that  I  fear  for  you.  The  cause  you  are 
engaged  in,  I  trust,  is  just  and  good,  and  I  heartily 
wish  that  all  that  are  engaged  in  it  were  as  sincere 
friends  to  their  country,  as  I  know  you  are.  Then, 
we  might  expect  a  blessing  upon  our  undertakings. 
But  what  can  we  think,  when  sin  and  wickedness 
so  much  abound  in  our  army  ? 


1776.]  MISS  GRAFTON'S  LETTER.  .      81 

"  The  melancholy  account  you  gave  me  of  the 
late  discovery,  was  very  shocking,  and  had  they 
put  their  hellish  plot  into  operation,  what  would 
have  become  of  us?  I  sincerely  hope  that  alt  their 
wicked  desires  may  be  brought  to  light,  and  they 
rnay  receive  the  punishment  due  to  their  great 
crimes.  I  expect  to  hear  something  of  great 
importance  that  will  take  place  soon,  and  I  shall  be 
very  anxious  to  hear  from  you. 

"  We  are  very  quiet  here  at  present,  and  things 
remain  much  as  they  did  when  you.  left  Salem.  I 
think  the  people  are  much  the  same.  We  have 
been  fortifying,  and  making  a  new  fort,  in  case  we 
should  be  attacked  by  the  enemy,  but  I  hope  there 
is  no  danger  at  present,  as  they  seem  to  be  engaged 
at  your  part  of  the  country.  I  fear  for  New  York, 
that  you  labor  under  a  great  disadvantage  from  the 
enemy,  as  they  can  surround  you  on  all  sides.  God 
grant  you  victory ! 

"  I  thank  you  for  the  kind  regards  you  expressed 
in  a  former  letter  for  the  family,  and  for  your  good 
advice,  and  all  favors  received  from  you.  All  the 
return  I  can  make,  is  gratitude  and  love,  which  I 
think  I  shall  not  be  wanting  to  express.  Let  me 
beg  of  you,  once  more,  not  to  enter  the  field  of 
battle,  and  when  you  can  leave  the  army  with 
honor  and  credit,  we  shall  be  very  glad  to  have 
you  come  to  Salem, 

"  I  have  no  news  to  acquaint  you  with  of  any 
importance.  Our  family  is  in  good  health,  and 
likewise  all  our  friends,  etc. 


82  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

"  P.  S.  The  family  all  give  their  kind  regards,  and 
long  to  see  you,  and  I  hope  we  shall,  before  winter. 
I  beg  you  to  write  again  soon.  I  received  your 
letter  about  ten  days  after  date." 


CHAPTER  Y. 

DECLARATION   OF   INDEPENDENCE. 

Declaration  of  Independence.  —  Small-pox. —  General  Inoculation. 
—  Inoculation  of  General  Warren's  Children.  —  Eben  Warren's 
Letter.  —  Mrs.  Eben  Warren's  do.  —  Arnold,  a  Friend  of  General 
Warren  and  his  Children.  —  Miss  Scollay.  —  Provision  for  the 
Children. —  Samuel  Adams.  —  Mrs.  Mercy  Warren.  —  Letter  from 
Mr.  Grafton. 

A  S  the  British  fleet  did  not  appear  at  New  York 
-^-  until  the  last  of  June,  the  New  England 
States  were  kept  in  suspense  with  regard  to  their 
motions.  The  recent  reverses  in  Canada,  and  the 
retreat  of  the  American  army,  had  left  the  frontier 
exposed,  and  occasioned  great  anxiety. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  great  step  had  been 
taken.  The  Rubicon  was  passed,  the  States  had  de- 
clared themselves  free.  On  the  ninth  of  July,  the 
Declaration  of  Independence  was  read  at  the  head 
of  each  brigade  of  the  army  in  New  York,  and 
was  received  with  great  exultation  and  cheering. 

The  small-pox  was  prevailing  at  this  time,  and 
orders  were  given  for  a  general  inoculation  of  the 
inhabitants  and  troops  in  Boston,  about  the  third 
of  July.  It  is  curious  to  consider  this  first  celebra- 
tion of  Independence  in  this  quarter.  General 
Washington  had  been  inoculated  at  New  York, 
about  the  twenty-seventh  of  June  ;  Mrs.  Washing- 


84  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

ton  had  been  previously  inoculated  in  Philadelphia. 
We  must  recollect  that  in  1776,  inoculation  for 
small-pox  was  the  production  of  the  genuine  dis- 
ease, only  in  a  milder  form.  It  was  no  trifling 
affair,  and  the  patients  were  obliged  to  go  through 
a  regular  course  of  medical  discipline.  It  was 
twenty  years  after,  in  1796,  that  Dr.  Jenner  vac- 
cinated his  first  patient.  It  became  general,  in 
England  at  least,  in  1799,  and  was  introduced  here 
by  Dr.  Jackson  and  Dr.  Waterhouse,  in  the  latter 
part  of  this  year. 

I  have  already  given  the  letter  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Warren,  dated  August  6th,  1776,  in  which  she 
gives  an  account  of  General  Warren's  children,  who 
are  undergoing  the  operation  of  the  small-pox,  in 
Boston.  Several  other  letters  refer  to  the  same- 
circumstances.  The  first  of  these,  is  from  Mrs. 
Betsey  Miller.  Her  handwriting  is  better  than 
that  of  most  ladies  of  this  period.  Her  letter  is 
dated  July  22d. 

"  SIR,  —  It  is  with  pleasure  I  inform  you,  your 
niece  Betsey  is  with  me.  She  was  inoculated  for 
the  small-pox  fourteen  days  agone,  and  is  likely  to 
have  it  very  light. 

"  It  was  with  some  difficulty  I  was  favored  with 
her  company,  as  Miss  Scollay  thought  it  most 
proper  to  take  her  herself.  While  in  my  family, 
she  shall  be  treated  with  all  the  tenderness  in  my 
power.  I  have  sent  repeatedly  for  the  children  to 
come  and  see  me,  but  am  denied,  and  shall  not 
repeat  the  request.  I  hear  they  are  not  to  return 


1776.J  LETTER   FROM    EBEN    WARREN.  85 

to  Roxbury,  but  to  board  at  Mr.  Scollay's.  Should 
that  be  the  case,  I  don't  expect  ever  to  have  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  them.  However,  if  this  is  for 
their  good,  I  desire  to  submit.  I  had  thoughts  of 
keeping  Betsey  this  summer,  if  agreeable  to  you 
and  her  friends  at  Roxbury,  to  go  to  school,  and 
fixing  her  up  in  a  proper  manner,  as  she  is  in  want 
of  many  things.  I  have  not  forgot  the  last  words 
of  your  dear  brother,  concerning  the  children.  I 
hope  to  have  the  pleasure  of  hearing  from  you  by 
return  of  post.  Adieu,  sir.  May  every  happiness 
attend  you.  Mr.  Miller  sends  his  compliments. 
"  Yours,  BETSEY  MILLER." 

The  next  letter  is  from  Eben  Warren,  at  Rox- 
bury, dated  August  4th. 

"  I  received  your  letter  of  July  20th,  wherein 
you  inform  me  of  your  health,  and  expect,  a 
general  attack  at  New  York.  I  hope  you  are  in  a 
condition  to  make  a  spirited  opposition,  and  that 
you  will  put  to  flight  all  those  that  may  rise  up 
against  you,  and  that  you  may  not  long  live  at  so 
great  a  distance  from  us.  The  children  are  now 
under  the  operation  of  the  small-pox.  Betsey,  at 
Mrs.  Miller's,  almost  well.  The  three  younger  at 
Mr.  Scollay's,  just  beginning  to  break  out,  though 
inoculated  longer  than  three  weeks  ago,  by  Dr. 
Bulfinch ;  Betsey,  by  Dr.  Joseph  Gardner. 

"  As  to  the  article  of  money,  I  can  do  without, 
but  if  need  be,  will  let  you  know.  We  are  all  well 
here,  but  Mr.  Ocington  is  not  likely  to  continue 
many  days.  Mr.  Daniel  Tucker's  wife,  is  very  ill. 


86  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

The  rest  of  our  family  very  well.  Some  of  them, 
I  expect,  will  write  you  letters  which  will  accom- 
pany these.  No  more  of  importance  to  write,  but 
desire  you  to  write  as  often  as  possible. 

"  I  remain  your  loving  brother, 

"E.  WARREN." 

The  next  letter  is  from  Mrs.  Ann  Warren,  the 
wife  of  Eben,  and  is  dated  August  5th. 

"  I  received  your  kind  letter  of  June  21st,  in 
which  you  inform  me  of  your  good  state  of  health, 
and  contentment  in  your  situation.  I  thank  you 
for  your  letter,  and  the  notice  you  take  of  my  little 
girl,  and  I  fully  join  with  you  in  laying  that 
foundation  in  the  minds  of  children,  so  necessary  to 
render  them  respectable  in  riper  years.  Therefore, 
depend  upon  it,  nothing  shall  be  wanting,  as  far  as 
my  influence  extends,  to  promote  the  happiness  of 
the  dear  little  children.  They  are  now  under  the 
operation  of  the  small-pox.  A  full  account  of 
them  will  be  transmitted  to  you  by  Mr.  Warren. 

"  I  have  no  news  to  write  to  you,  but  am  in  good 
health,  and  beg  you  to  continue  your  favors  by 
writing  to  me  as  often  as  possible,  as  I  shall  to  you. 

"  I  subscribe  myself  your  loving  sister, 

"  ANN  WARREN." 

Mr.  Eben  Warren  was  then  living  in  Roxbury. 
He  had  been  two  years  married.  "The  children" 
appear  to  have  been  objects  of  great  interest,  as  it 
was  natural  they  should  be.  There  seems  to  have 
been  some  jealousy  on  the  part  of  their  friends,  as 


1776.]  BENEDICT   ARNOLD.  87 

to  who  should  have  charge  of  them.  The  Miss 
Scollay,  who  is  here  spoken  of,  was  the  daughter 
of  John  Scollay,  and  the  intimate  and  dear  friend 
of  General  Warren.  She  is  said  to  have  been 
betrothed  to  him,  at  the  time  of  his  death.  She 
was  a  woman  of  great  energy  and  depth  of  charac- 
ter, and  her  zeal  in  behalf  of  these  children,  if 
nothing  else,  would  seem  to  have  given  a  claim 
to  the  charge  of  them.  "  If  Congress  will  do 
nothing  for  them,"  said  she,  "  I  will  take  them  by 
the  hand  and  lead  them  in  person  to  the  President." 

Among  their  other  ardent  friends,  was  Colonel 
Benedict  Arnold,  from  whom  a  letter  is  given  in 
the  biography  of  Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  in  which 
he  declares  his  determination  to  aid  these  children, 
on  account  of  his  friendship  for  their  father.  He 
states  that  he  has  sent  Miss  Scollay  a  sum  of 
money  for  their  benefit ;  wishes  her  to  take  partic- 
ular care  of  the  education  of  Betsey,  and  have 
Richard  sent  to  the  best  school  in  Boston,  at  his 
expense.  It  is  said  that  it  was  principally  in 
consequence  of  the  exertions  of  Arnold,  that 
Congress  was  induced  to  provide  for  them. 

Congress  passed  a  resolution  that  "the  eldest 
son  of  General  Warren  should  be  educated  at  the 
public  expense  ;  "  and  subsequently,  on  the  first  of 
July,  1780,  a  resolve,  "  that  it  should  be  recom- 
mended to  the  executive  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  to 
make  provision  for  the  maintenance  and  education 
of  his  three  younger  children,  and  that  Congress 
would  defray  the  expense  to  the  amount  of  the 
half-pay  of  a  Major-general,  to  commence  at  the 


88  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

time  of  his  death,  and  continue  until  the  youngest 
of  the  children  should  be  of  age." 

Samuel  Adams,  in  reply  to  subsequent  inquiries 
from  Elbridge  Gerry  and  James  Lovell,  says : 
"  The  eldest  daughter,  a  miss  of  thirteen,  is  with 
the  Doctor,  and  he  assures  me  that  no  gentleman's 
daughter  in  this  town,  has  more  the  advantages 
of  schools  than  she  has  at  his  expense.  She  learns 
music,  dancing,  writing,  and  arithmetic,  and  the  best 
needle-work  that  is  taught  here." 

The  wife  of  General  James  Warren,  Mrs.  Mercy 
Warren,  who  wrote  a  history  of  the  Eevolution,  — 
"  was  very  solicitous  that  the  eldest  daughter 
should  pass  the  winter  with  her,  and  desired  me  to 
propose  it  to  Miss.  I  did  so,  but  could  not  prevail 
upon  her.  She  said  that  Mrs.  Miller  (Mr.  Charles 
Miller's  lady),  at  whose  house  she  then  was,  did  not 
incline  to  part  with  her,  and  that  it  would  be  a 
breach  of  good  manners,  and  ungrateful  for  her,  to 
leave  Mrs.  Miller  against  her  inclination.  I  am 
certain  it  was  Mrs.  Warren's  intention  to  give  her 
board  and  education.  You  know  the  distinguished 
accomplishments  of  that  lady." 

As  Arnold  came  from  Connecticut  with  a  com- 
pany of  volunteers,  about  the  time,  or  soon  after 
the  battle  of  Lexington,  his  personal  acquaintance 
with  Joseph  Warren  must  have  been  very  brief. 
Perhaps  it  was  admiration  of  his  ardent  zeal  and 
daring  courage  in  a  common  cause,  as  well  as 
sympathy  for  his  early  death,  that  led  him  to  speak 
of  him  as  his  friend,  and  give  substantial  proofs  of 
his  friendship.  In  after  life,  I  think  he  must  have 


1776.]  BENEDICT   ARNOLD.  89 

often  wished  that  a  similar  fate  had  been  his,  and 
that  he  had  died  gloriously  in  the  height  of  his 
renown  with  Montgomery  at  Quebec,  and  that  the 
ball  which  wounded  his  leg  had  struck  higher  up. 
The  name  of  Benedict  Arnold,  which  is  now  placed 
with  us  by  the  side  of  Judas  Iscariot,  would  then 
have  stood  with  those  of  James  Montgomery  and 
Joseph  Warren. 

It  is  remarkable  that  it  was  at  a  period  in  1776, 
when,  after  repeated  losses,  Arnold's  whole  soul  is 
said  to  have  been  engrossed  in  the  acquisition  of 
wealth  and  in  self-aggrandizement,  that  he  makes 
this  generous  proposition,  and  sends  the  sum  of 
five  hundred  dollars  to  Miss  Scollay,  for  their  use. 

I  have  dwelt  longer  upon  the  subject  of  these 
children,  than  I  otherwise  should,  because  after  my 
father's  marriage  they  came  to  live  with  him,  and 
formed  a  part  of  his  family.  I  may  state  here, 
while  upon  the  subject,  that  Joseph,  the  eldest  son, 
entered  Harvard  College  at  the  usual  age  of 
fourteen,  and  graduated  in  1786.  He  died  only 
four  years  after. 

Richard,  the  second  son,  engaged  in  mercantile 
affairs  in  Alexandria,  where  he  suffered  from  chills 
and  fever  incident  to  the  climate.  He  returned  to 
Boston,  and  died  in  the  house  of  his  uncle. 

Elizabeth  married  Gen.  Arnold  Welles,  who  had 
become,  and  always  continued  an  intimate  friend 
of  my  father,  making  himself,  in  fact,  as  he  was  by 
marriage,  a  member  of  his  family.  She  died  in 
1804,  without  children. 

Mary  married  Mr.  Lyman,  a  lawyer  of  North- 


90  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

amp  ton.  All  the  children  of  this  marriage  died. 
She  afterwards  married  Judge  Newcomb  of  Green- 
field, by  whom  she  had  one  son,  Joseph  Warren 
Newcomb. 

The  manner  in  which  the  children  are  spoken  of 
in  the  preceding  letters,  to  Dr.  Warren,  prove 
the  interest  which  he  felt  in  the  welfare  of  these 
orphans.  In  1873,  we  find  him  requesting,  in  a 
letter  to  General  Washington,  that  he  may  be 
appointed,  if  possible,  to  a  post  near  enough  to 
enable  him  to  attend  conveniently  by  correspond- 
ence to  the  affairs  of  his  brother's  family.  In 
those  days,  distance  was  a  serious  consideration  ; 
both  in  regard  to  time  and  expense. 

A  letter  from  Mr.  Grafton,  written  July  24th, 
bears,  in  some  of  its  particulars,  an  amusing  re- 
semblance to  the  letters  many  physicians  receive 
in  these  days  from  those  whom  they  employ  to 
collect  their  debts.  It  throws  some  additional 
light  also  upon  the  profits  of  Dr.  Warren's  profes- 
sional career  in  Salem. 

"  The  favor  of  your  obliging  and  genteel  letter 
of  the  first  instant,  by  Mr.  Johnstone,  I  duly  re- 
ceived ;  to  which  I  have  now  to  reply  :  — 

"  The  business  you  intrusted  me  with,  is  far 
from  being  settled.  The  following  is  all  the 
money,  I  have  yet  received  since  you  left  us. 

"  Of  Captain  White,  twenty-seven  shillings.  Do., 
of  Mr.  Richard  Ward,  for  the  estate  of  Mrs.  Web- 
ster, thirty-one  shillings,  six  pence.  Do.,  of  Mr.  N. 
Richardson,  ninety  shillings. 


1776.]  MR.  GRAFTON'S  LETTER.  91 

a  You  may  rest  assured,  that  nothing  on  my 
part  shall  be  wanting  to  collect  the  remaining 
balances,  as  fast  as  the  nature  of  the  business,  and 
the  difficulties  of  the  times  will  admit  of,  until  I 
have  finished  the  whole.  But  should  affairs  re- 
main in  such  a  state  as  they  are  now  in,  that  time 
cannot  (methinks)  be  very  near  at  hand.  You 
know,  my  dear  sir,  better  than  I  can  tell  you,  how 
much  confidence  there  is  in  the  honor  of  mankind, 
at  this  critical  juncture.  Certain  I  am  that  there 
is  very  little  punctuality  to  be  placed  among  the 
lower  class  of  people  :  and  as  your  debts  cen- 
tre mostly  in  their  hands,  I  am  doubtful  whether 
I  shall  be  able  to  make  any  great  progress  while 
this  unfortunate  war  continues.  I  hope  my  con- 
duct in  this  matter  will  be  such  as  to  meet  your 
approbation. 

"  I  can  without  compliment  or  even  the  shadow 
of  one  (my  youth  and  inexperience  taken  into  con- 
sideration), acknowledge  that  every  letter  my  aunt 
or  I  have  had  the  happiness  to  receive  from  your 
good  self,  lays  me  under  unspeakable  obligations  ; 
particularly  your  favor  in  which  you  gave  me 
your  candid  advice  with  regard  to  my  dear  broth- 
er's face. 

"  For  this,  and  every  other  mark  of  your  esteem, 
be  pleased  to  accept  the  warmest  sentiments  of 
gratitude,  that  a  heart,  conscious  of  its  own  un- 
worthiness,  can  offer.  I  have  now  the  pleasure  to 
acquaint  you  that,  through  God's  goodness,  he  is 
in  a  fair  way  to  do  well.  Our  family  are  all 
in  health.  They  long  to  see  you,  and  as  that  is 


92  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

at  present  denied,  we  hope  frequently  to  be  fa- 
vored, from  time  to  time,  with  letters  informing  us 
of  your  welfare  and  the  state  of  affairs  with  you. 
I  thank  you,  kind  sir,  for  the  early  notice  you 
were  pleased  (amidst  the  multiplicity  of  your  con- 
cerns) to  give  my  aunt,  of  the  most  infernal  con- 
spiracy among  the  enemies  of  America.  I  mean 
the  plans  they  had  concerted  in  conjunction  with 
the  enemy  to  blow  up  the  magazines ;  and  to 
butcher  our  general  officers.  God  grant  that  they 
may  meet  with  their  just  reward. 

"  Captain  Hussey,  who  arrived  at  Nantucket  from 
a  whaling  voyage,  was  brought  to  by  a  sixty-four- 
gun  ship,  ten  or  twelve  days  since,  a  little  without 
that  island.  He  was  on  board  her  for  a  few  min- 
utes, and  was  informed  that  Lord  Howe  was  in 
her,  bound  to  Philadelphia.  Captain  Stone,  from  St. 
Peters,  confirms  the  foregoing  account.  He  further 
informs  us,  that  the  day  before  he  left  St.  Peters, 
a  French  man-of-war  arrived  there  from  France, 
who  informed  him  that  the  Spaniards  had  declared 
war  against  Portugal.  Friday  last,  was  brought 
in  here  by  Capt.  John  Fisk,  in  the  privateer  sloop 
they  call  the  Pyramids,  —  in  the  service  of  this 
State, — an  armed  schooner,  commanded  by  Captain 
Guthrage  in  the  service  of  the  King  of  G.  B. 

"  Before  they  struck  to  Captain  Fisk,  they  had 
the  captain  and  one  man  killed  and  the  master  and 
many  sailors  wounded.  Captain  Fisk  had  one  man 
killed  and  three  wounded,  one  of  which  is  since 
dead  ;  both  the  others  are  likely  to  recover.  The 
schooner  had  on  board  eight  carriages,  gun  .... 


1776.]  MR.  GRAFTON'S  LETTER.  93 

swivels,  seventeen  half  barrels  powder,  and  thirty- 
two  men.  Sunday  last,  was  brought  in  here,  by 
Capt.  Peter  Lander,  —  in  a  letter  of  marque 
schooner,  belonging  to  Mr.  Hasket  Derby,  —  a 
sloop  from  the  West  Indies,  bound  to  Newfound- 
land. Her  cargo  consists  of  salt  and  English  goods. 
"A  ship  from  Jamaica,  bound  to  London,  was 
taken  by  the  above  schooner,  laden  with  about 
four  hundred  hogsheads  of  sugar,  one  hundred 
hogsheads  rum,  twenty  pipes  of  wine,  and  twenty- 
six  pieces  of  cannon,  from  four  to  nine  pounders. 
The  ship  is  supposed  to  be  worth  nearly  .... 
thousand  pounds  sterling.  She  is  not  yet  arrived. 
A  storeship  from  Ireland  which  was  blown  off  the 
coast  last  fall,  bound  to  Boston,  not  hearing  that 
the  fleet  and  army  had  evacuated  it,  ran  close  in 
with  the  islands,  and  came  to  anchor  before  she 
discovered  her  mistake.  The  first  intimation  of 
her  welcome  was  from  a  battery  erected  at  Point 
Alderton  ;  after  receiving  a  few  shots  from  which 
she  struck. 

"  Yesterday,  the  officers  and  privates  belonging 
to  the  alarm  and  training  bands,  mustered  for  the 
purpose  of  enlisting  every  twenty-eighth  man  for 
Quebec.  'Fifty  dollars  more  than  the  Province 
bounty  was  offered,  if  any  one  would  accept,  but 
no  one  appeared.  A  committee  was  chosen,  in 
order  to  get  men  upon  the  most  advantageous 
terms.  They  have  enlisted  twelve,  which  is  eight 
short  of  the  complement,  with  which  this  town  is 
to  furnish  the  Province. 

"  I  hope  your  candor  will  excuse  this  prolix  and 


94  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

hurried  scrawl ;  but  lest  I  intrude  upon  your  pa- 
tience, I  will  take  leave,  with  wishing  you  success 
in  all  your  undertakings,  and  with  tenders  of  my 
best  services.  In  the  interim,  I  remain,  dear  sir, 
your  most  obedient  and  sincere  obliged  friend.  — 

"  Jo.  GRAFTON,  JR." 

The  next  letter  is  from  Miss  Grafton. 

u  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  I  cannot  omit  the  opportunity 
of  writing  to  you,  to  let  you  hear  of  the  wel- 
fare of  our  family  and  all  friends  at  Salem  ;  of 
whom  I  make  no  doubt  you  will  be  very  glad  to 
hear. 

"  I  take  it  very  kind  of  you  that  you  think  it 
worth  your  while  to  spend  a  few  moments  in  writ- 
ing to  me.  It  gives  me  and  all  the  family  great 
pleasure  to  hear  from  you,  and  I  beg  you  will  con- 
tinue to  write  by  every  opportunity.  Don't  let 
the  distance  we  are  at  be  the  means  of  break- 
ing up  the  friendship  between  us ;  and  since  we 
cannot  see  one  another,  let  us  hear  from  each 
other  as  often  as  opportunity  permits.  Let  us 
hope  for  better  times,  when  the  swords  shall  be 
beaten  into  ploughshares,  —  the  spears  into  prun- 
ing hooks,  and  the  nation  learn  war  no  more. 
May  that  happy  day  come  when  we  shall  see  you 
again  in  peace.  You  wrote  me  word  that  you 
were  determined  to  be  content,  let  you  be  where 
you  will,  and  I  make  no  doubt  you  are  so. 

"  I  hope  you  spend  your  time  agreeably  with 
your  friends.  I  was  sorry  to  hear  you  were  upon 
Long  Island  j  for  I  thought  it  would  not  be  so 


1776.]  LETTER   FROM   MISS    GRAFTON.  95 

agreeable  to  you  as  New  York,  and  I  was  afraid 
you  were  more  exposed  to  danger.  But,  let  you 
be  wherever  you  may  be  called,  I  commit  you  to 
the  care  of  that  Being  who  orders  all  things ;  and 
so  all  will  be  right. 

"  I  was  much  disappointed  this  week  that  I  had 
not  a  letter  from  you ;  as  it  made  me  fear  some- 
thing extraordinary  had  occurred.  I  wrote  to 
you  by  the  post,  a  letter  which,  I  suppose,  you 
have  received.  I  shall  write  again,  if  I  have  an 
opportunity  ;  but  not  by  post,  for  I  don't  think 
my  letters  worth  paying  postage  for.  I  have  no 
particular  news  to  acquaint  you  with  ;  except  the 
death  of  our  worthy  friend,  the  Kevd.  Mr.  Barnard, 
whose  funeral  we  attended  last  Wednesday.  He 
was  seized  with  a  turn  of  his  old  disorder,  which 
carried  him  off  in  about  a  week.  The  rest  of  your 
friends  are  all  well.  Joshua  is  gone  to  sea,  and  I 
expect  he  will  meet  with  the  same  fate  as  he  did 
before ;  but  as  he  has  gone  master,  I  hope  he 
won't  be  stripped  of  all. 

"  Our  privateers  have  taken  a  number  of  very 
valuable  prizes,  and  some  among  us  have  made 
their  fortunes.  I  should  be  glad  to  know  if  you 
think  you  shall  ever  come  to  Salem  again  ?  If 
you  wait  for  the  war  to  be  at  an  end,  I  fear  it  will 
be  a  great  while.  Be  it  as  it  may,  whether  here 
or  there,  I  heartily  wish  you  health,  happiness, 
and  prosperity  —  a  good  wife  and  a  good  fortune. 
I  am,  dear  sir,  your  ever  faithful  friend  to  serve. 
The  family  all  desire  to  be  remembered  to  you. 

"  SUSANNA  GRAFTON." 


96  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

The  arrival  of  a  British  fleet  and  an  attack,  and 
general  engagement,  was  now  daily  expected.  On 
the  10th  of  August,  Dr.  Warren  wrote  to  Dr.  Mor- 
gan as  follows :  — 

u  RESPECTED  SIR,  —  I  yesterday  called  on  your 
quarters,  but  you  had  just  gone  out.  .1  wished  to 
have  some  conversation  with  you,  relative  to  my 
duty  in  the  time  of  a  battle.  We  are  Jiere,  appre- 
hensive of  an  attack  every  hour,  and  as  I  imagine 
that,  if  I  act  only  in  the  line  of  my  department  at 
such  a  time,  I  should  be  a  very  useless  person,  my 
situation  is  extremely  disagreeable.  I  shall  feel 
much  happier  if  permitted  to  act  in  a  different 
capacity. 

"  The  orders  begin  by  giving  full  and  uncontrol- 
lable latitude  with  regard  to  sending  in  patients 
that  labor  under  putrid  or  infectious  diseases, 
—  to  the  regimental  surgeons.  Hospital  surgeons 
are  to  have  no  negative ;  but  the  latter  can  order 
none  in,  without  the  consent  of  the  former,  — 
or,  in  my  case,  sending  for  the  director-general,  to 
trouble  him  with  any  petty  disputes  upon  the  sub- 
ject ;  and  if  I  do  not  choose  to  give  him  that 
trouble,  they  gain  their  point.  By  these  means, 
regimental  surgeons  have  the  sole  disposal  (I 
think  I  may  safely  say)  of  all  the  sick  in  the  whole 
army.  As  they  have  formed  a  plan  for  the  anni- 
hiliation  of  the  general  hospital,  they  will  make 
sufficient  use  of  all  the  advantages  given  them, 
to  render  the  situation  of  the  surgeons  of  it  disa- 
greeable. Wounded  patients  will  be  received  into 


1776.]  WILL    SERVE   AS    VOLUNTEER.  97 

regimental  hospitals,  —  the  sick  will  be  sent  to 
the  general  hospital,  to  make  room  for  them. 
Hospital  surgeons  are  quietly  to  submit  to  the  im- 
position ;  and  no  provision  is  made  for  any  remedy. 
But  still,  hospital  surgeons  are  to  be  subservient 
to  them,  in  taking  care  of  their  supplies^  and  deliv- 
ering them  out. 

"  If  a  general  hospital  is  useless  or  unnecessary, 
I  could  wish  to  be  dismissed ;  though  I  would  by 
no  means  leave  the  army,  until  I  had  served  as  a 
volunteer  in  the  approaching  decisive  battle.  We 
have  been  easy  hitherto,  though  it  has  not  been 
the  case  in  the  other  department :  and  the  effect 
of  their  importunity  has  been  success,  —  though 
contrary  to  former  general  orders. 

"  The  General,  I  know,  has  been  much  harassed 
and  perplexed  already,  in  this  affair.  We  there- 
fore shall  not  trouble  him  upon  it,  at  present,  but 
I  should  wish  to  serve  as  I  have  mentioned  above. 
Your  answer,  if  leisure  permits,  will  much  oblige 
your  obedient  servant,  JOHN  WARREN." 

My  father  had  written  to  his  friend  Miss  Graf- 
ton,  as  we  have  seen,  that  he  was  determined  to 
be  content  in  whatever  situation  he  was  placed ; 
but  he  was  not  a  man  to  bear,  without  remon- 
strance, what  he  considered  injustice  towards  his 
fellow  officers  and  himself.  The  rank  of  hospital 
surgeons  being  superior  to  that  of  the  regimental 
surgeons,  they  could  not  rightly  be  placed  under 
the  control  of  the  latter.  Moreover,  it  was,  of 
course,  proper  that  those  who  had  charge  of  the 
hospital,  should  have  the  control  of  the  admissions. 


98  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

But  the  difficulties  arising  in  every  department  of 
the  newly  formed  army,  were  great  and  perplex- 
ing. No  person  but  one  possessed  of  the  cool, 
resolute,  at  the  same  time,  determined  character  of 
Washington,  could  have  harmonized  the  various 
and  conflicting  materials  of  which  the  army  was 
composed.  After  the  first  burst  of  patriotism, 
which  called  men  together  by  a  simultaneous 
impulse,  selfish  motives  would  creep  in,  and  each 
man  would  ask  himself,  whether  he  ought  not  to 
obtain  some  personal  reward  for  the  sacrifice  he 
had  made.  This  was  felt  in  the  medical  depart- 
ment, as  well  as  in  ,  the  others, —  the  regimental 
surgeons  wishing  to  obtain  superiority  over  the 
hospital  surgeons.  Hence  the  troubles  described 
in  my  father's  letter.  At  this  period,  according  to 
Washington  Irving,  one  fourth  part  of  the  army 
were  upon  the  sick  list,  with  bilious  and  putrid 
fevers  and  dysentery.  In  the  present  location  of 
the  army,  the  sick  could  be  taken  better  care  of 
in  private  houses,  and  with  less  danger  of  spread- 
ing infection. 

The  young  surgeon,  burning  with  the  recollec- 
tion of  Bunker  Hill,  —  on  the  eve  of  an  important 
engagement,  —  pants  to  take  part  in  the  fight,  and 
serve  as  a  volunteer  in  the  ranks,  instead  of 
remaining  in  a  position  which  he  fears  will  «be 
useless. 

The  reply  of  Dr.  Morgan  is1  not  preserved,  but 
we  may  judge  of  its  purport,  by  a  note  dated 
August  twenty-third,  the  day  after  a  partial  attack 
from  the  enemy,  —  several  thousand  men  having 


1776.]  BATTLE   OF   LONG   ISLAND.  99 

landed  at  Gravesend,  and  driven  in  Colonel  Hand 
with  the  Pennsylvania  Rifle  Regiment. 

"  SIR,  —  I  have  sent  to  the  surgeons,  desiring  the 
youngest  off  duty  to  go  to  your  assistance,  and 
take  four  mates  with  him ;  to  carry  over  five 
hundred  additional  bandages,  and  twelve  fracture 
boxes.  I  fear  they  have  no  scalpels,  as  whatever  I 
have  committed  to  the  hospitals  has  always  been 
lost.  I  send  you  two,  in  which  case,  if  you  want 
more,  use  a  razor  for  an  incision  knife.  Let  me 
know,  from  time  to  time,  at  Long  Island. 

"  J.  MORGAN. 

"  To  DR.  WARREN,  Surgeon  of  the  General  Hospital  at  Long 
Island." 

It  thus  appears  that  he  was  now  fully  employed, 
and  there  was  no  chance  of  his  being  allowed  to 
serve  as  a  volunteer.  The  destitution  of  the 
surgeons  in  scalpels,  is  worthy  of  notice,  as  well  as 
the  substitute  recommended.  Every  man,  it  is  to 
be  presumed,  had  a  razor. 

From  this  time  to  the  twenty-seventh  of  August, 
the  enemy  were  making  their  gradual  advances. 
On  this  day,  the  disastrpus  battle  of  Long  Island 
took  place.  Nearly  two  thousand  of  the  Ameri- 
cans were  among  the  killed,  wounded,  or  prisoners. 
Washington  made  his  celebrated  retreat  —  one  of 
the  greatest  events  of  the  war. 

Junior,  it  seems,  according  to  the  next  letter, 
had  anticipated  this  action,  as  it  often  did  even 
before  the  days  of  electric  telegraphs,  of  course 
with  exaggerated  features.  Miss  Grafton  writes 
on  the  twenty-second  from  Salem  :  — 


LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

"  Having  so  good  an  opportunity  to  write  to  you 
by  Mr.  Page,  I  embrace  it  with  pleasure,  to  let  you 
know,  I  think  all  will  be  glad  to  hear  of  your 
health  and  welfare,  for  you  have  not  many  friends 
that  wish  you  more  happiness  than  I  do. 

"  Joshua  and  you  give  me  much  concern  —  the 
one  exposed  to  the  enemy  at  sea  and  the  other  on 
the  land;  but  I  must  leave  you  both  to  the  care  of 
a  kind  Providence,  who,  I  trust  will  preserve  you, 
and  keep  you  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

"  It  was  reported,  the  other  day,  that  there  had 
been  a  great  battle  fought  at  Long  Island,  and  that 
you  had  lost  five  thousand  men.  We  were  much 
concerned  on  hearing  of  it,  for  we  expected  to 
hear  that  you  were  either  dead  or  taken  captive, 
but  the  news  was  soon  contradicted.  I  expect 
daily  to  hear  that  you  are  called  to  action  ;  but  if 
you  live  through  the  engagement,  as  I  hope  you 
will,  —  for  you  need  not  put  yourself  in  danger 
unless  you  choose,  —  pray  let  us  hear  from  you  as 
soon  as  you  possibly  can.  Let  me  beg  of  you  not 
to  go  into  the  engagement,  for  your  friends'  sake, 
if  you  have  no  regard  to  yourself.  I  hope,  when 
I  hear  from  you,  to  hear  of  your  success,  which  I 
heartily  wish. 

"  I  am  in  a  great  hurry,  as  we  are  much  engaged 
in  family  affairs,  but  just  hearing  Mr.  Page  was 
going  to  set  out  for  New  York,  I  could  not  oiASt 
giving  you  a  line  by  him.  The  family  give  their 
love  to  you,  and  long  to  see  you." 


1776.]  LETTER   FROM   DR.    BARTLETT.  101 

At  East  Chester,  where  Dr.  Warren  was  sta- 
tioned after  the  retreat,  he  received  the  following 
letter  from  Dr.  Josiah  Bartlett,  written  on  the 
thirty-first. 

"  GENERAL  HOSPITAL,  NEW  YORK. 

"  SIR,  —  I  have  put  up  the  medicines  you  wrote 
for  —  what  was  in  the  store.  There  was  no 
powdered  bark,  and  .1  have  sent  the  gross.  The 
tartar  emetic  which  is  sent,  is  made  here,  and 
bound  to  be  as  good  as  any,  although  it  looks  so 
black.  Jalap  and  rhubarb,  we  have  none.  I  have 
put  up  some  sal.  cath.  as  a  substitute.  The  nitre 
and  cream  tartar  is  likewise  sent.  Dr.  Foster  de- 
sires to  be  remembered  to  you,  and  he  would 
have  wrote  to  you  himself,  but  he  has  so  much 
business  on  his  hands  he  could  not  find  time  to. 

"  Our  troops  have  evacuated  Governor's  Island, 
since  you  went  away.  It  is  said  they  made  a 
scandalous  retreat,  and  left  a  number  of  cannon, 
etc.,  on  the  Island.  If  you  should  want  any  more 
medicines,  if  you  will  send,  I  will  put  them  up  if 
they  are  in  store. 

"  Your  most  obedient, 

"  J.  BARTLETT." 

The  surgeon's  hospital  duties  left  him  little 
leisure  at  this  period,  to  write  to  his  friends.  That 
he  was,  in  general,  a  good  correspondent,  may  be 
inferred  from  such  amicable  censures,  when  he  did 
not  write,  as  are  contained  in  the  following  letter 
from  Miss  Grafton,  dated  20th  September :  — 

"  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  As  I  have  not  heard  from  you 


102  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

since  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  we  have  been  very 
unhappy,  for  fear  you  are  numbered  among  the 
dead,  or  taken ;  but  upon  all  the  inquiries  that  I 
can  make,  I  cannot  learn  that  you  are  on  the  list 
of  the  killed,  the  taken,  or  the  wounded ;  so  I  hope 
and  trust  you  are  still  in  the  land  of  the  living, 
which  I  should  be  exceedingly  glad  to  hear. 

"What  can  be  the  occasion  of  your  not  writing? 
Is  it  neglect  ?  No,  I  think  that  cannot  be  the  case. 
It  must  be  hurry  of  business,  or  something  of 
importance  that  you  must  be  engaged  in,  that  you 
have  not  had  the  opportunity.  If  that  is  not  the 
case,  I  take  it  very  unkind,  for  you  must  know 
that  we  are  very  anxious  to  hear  from  you,  after 
such  a  battle.  We  have  been  in  much  trouble 
about  you,  and  are  still,  to  know  what  your  situa- 
tion is.  Pray  be  so  kind  as  to  let  us  know,  as  soon 
as  you  possibly  can.  We  have  various  accounts 
from  New  York,  but  I  depend  upon  you  for  partic- 
ulars. Our  family  and  friends  are  well.  I  sent  to 

you  for  Mr.  Barnard's  sword,  by .     If  you 

have  not  sent  it,  please  send  by  Mr.  Fox,  who 
brings  this. 

"  Your  sincere  friend, 

"  SUSANNA  GRAFTON." 

There  may  have  been  another  cause  for  the 
failure  of  letters  at  this  period.  My  father  never 
thought  of  himself,  and  when  the  sick  or  wounded 
were  to  be  attended  to,  any  considerations  of 
his  own  safety  or  health  were  entirely  out  of 
the  question.  In  the  performance  of  his  surgical 


1776.]  DESPONDENCY   CAUSED   BY   DEFEAT.  103 

duties,  he  forgot,  as  he  ever  did,  the  precautions 
necessary  for  his  own  health.  With  his  ardent 
and  sensitive  temperament,  at  this  period  of  anx- 
iety, no  personal  loss  would  have  affected  him  so 
much  as  this  disaster  to  the  army. 

In  exulting  over  the  recollections  of  our  Revo- 
lution, we  forget  the  disasters  and  disgraces,  the 
periods  of  doubt  and  despondency,  before  success 
began  to  appear  clear. 

In  the  disaster  of  Bull  Run,  and  the  subsequent 
despondency  of  the  nation,  we  may  find  an  illus- 
tration of  the  effect  produced  by  such  a  disaster,  at 
the  time  I  speak  of.  My  father,  confident  of  the 
justice  of  his  cause,  never  despaired  of  the  event, 
but  present  defeat,  shame,  and  loss,  were  severely 
felt.  It  is  true,  that  owing  to  the  skill  and  ac- 
tivity of  General  Washington,  the  retreat  was  ac- 
complished in  a  masterly  manner.  The  blunder  of 
an  aid-de-camp  had  nearly  caused  its  failure,  but 
it  was  saved  by  the  presence  of  the  commander- 
in-chief.  The  American  troops  had  fought 
bravely. 

Had  the  hurry  of  surgical  business  allowed,  I 
think  my  father  could  not  readily  have  brought 
himself,  in  the  first  moments,  to  give  an  account 
of  the  disaster;  and  soon  after,  the  fatigue  and 
exposure  added  to  the  causes  of  anxiety  and 
depression,  brought  on  a  severe  and  dangerous 
illness. 

On  the  second  of  December,  Washington  writes 
to  the  President  of  the  Congress :  — 

"  Our  situation  is  truly  distressing.     The  check 


104  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WAREEN.  [AGE  23. 

our  detachment  sustained  on  the  twent}'-seventh 
ultimo,  has  dispirited  too  great  a  proportion  -of  our 
troops,  and  filled  their  minds  with  apprehension 
and  despair.  The  militia,  instead  of  calling  forth 
their  utmost  efforts  to  a  brave  and  manly  opposi- 
tion, in  order  to  repair  our  losses,  was  dismayed, 
intractable,  and  impatient  to  return.  Great 
numbers  of  them  had  gone  off,  in  some  instances, 
almost  by  whole  regiments,  by  half  ones,  and  by 

companies  at  a  time With  the  deepest 

concern  I  am  obliged  to  express  my  want  of  con- 
fidence in  the  generality  of  the  troops." 

The  illness  of  Dr.  Warren  excited  the  serious 
apprehension  of  his  friends,  and  drew  forth  anxious 
letters,  which  evince  the  esteem  in  which  he  was 
held.  One  from  Dr.  Morgan,  dated  at  Kings- 
bridge,  October  4th,  shows  the  regard  which  the 
Director-general  bore  towards  him.  It  is  directed 
to  the  care  of  Rev.  Mr.  Avery,  at  Rye,  Westchester 
County,  New  York  :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  have  been  very  anxious  about 
your  illness,  and  have  not  known  how  to  write  to 
you  but  one  letter,  which  I  hope  came  safe  to 
hand.  It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  have  heard  of 
your  recovery,  so  that  your  health  is  likely  to  be 
established.  I  have  not  yet  had  the  satisfaction 
of  hearing  from  you.  I  suppose  the  reason  to  be, 
that  you  are  not  yet  quite  able.  I  can  scarcely  tell 
how  to  write  or  where  to  direct,  but  do  the  best  I 
can,  at  a  venture. 

"  If  this  should  have  the  good  luck  to  reach  you, 


1776.]  LETTER   FROM   DR.   EUSTIS.  105 

pray  write  and  let  me  know  how  to  direct  properly 
to  you.  I  wish  you  were  so  far  recovered  that  I 
could  see  you,  if  you  were  even  to  return  immedi- 
ately for  your  complete  recovery.  I  doubt  not 
you  will  take  the  earliest  opportunity  to  see  me. 
Dr.  Foster  is  at  Newark  (with  Mrs.  Foster)  where 
we  have  a  good  hospital.  Dr.  McKnight  is  at  the 
widow  Delancy's,  White  House,  two  miles  from 
Kingsbridge,  towards  West  Chester.  Dr.  Adams, 
and  Dr.  Eustis  (whom  I  have  appointed  a  surgeon 
also),  at  Valentine's,  two  miles  from  the  bridge,  on 
the  Boston  road. 

"I  am  improving  the  church  at  East  Chester 
into  an  hospital.  Am  now  at  the  White  Plains,  to 
carry  on  some  medicine  I  had  sent  here,  and  on 
my  way  to  Stamford,  on  a  like  errand.  I  shall  re- 
turn to  the  camp  by  the  way  of  the  White  Plains, 
and  call  at  Mr.  Lewis's  this  afternoon.  Wishing 
you  all  health,  your  friend  and  humble  servant, 

"  JOHN  MORGAN. 

"  P.  S.  I  have  altered  my  mind,  and  shall  leave 
this  letter  on  my  return." 

Dr.  Eustis  had,  as  we  have  seen,  been  early 
appointed  surgeon  of  a  regiment  of  artillery  by 
recommendation  of  his  preceptor,  General  Warren. 
Having  accompanied  the  army  to  New  York,  he 
now  received  the  appointment  above  -mentioned. 
He  writes  a  characteristic  letter  from  Delancy's 
house,  dated  October  7th :  — 

• 

"  DEAR  JACK,  —  You  were  really  wrong  in  censur- 
ing us,  for  not  writing  to  you.  I  acknowledge  we 


106  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  23. 

might  have  written,  but  if  you  knew  but  half  the 
vicissitudes  (this  is  the  first  time  I  have  put  pen  to 
paper  for  so  long  a  time  that, '  by  Jove,  I  had 
forgot  how  to  spell  vi,  vi,  vivi,  etc.),  —  I  say,  if 
you  had  a  tolerable  idea  of  the  various  movements 
we  have  performed  since  you  left  us,  you  would 
excuse  us  not  only ;  etc.  —  Sat  verlum. 

"  It  affords  real  satisfaction  to  think  you  are  re- 
covered. I  should  be  extremely  happy  to  see  you 
in  camp  on  many  accounts.  I  rejoice  with  you 
that  mors  pallida  manu  frustra  te  tetigit.  This  is 
writing.  Mr.  Glover  will  deliver  this,  and  pray  let 
him  deliver  something  in  return.  Come  to  camp 
one  day  sooner,  on  account  of —  your  friend, 

"  W.  EUSTIS." 

"  Pray  wait  on  Dr.  Foster's  lady,  and  —  tho', 
as  she  is  a  lady  of  whose  good  sense  I  have  a 
very  great  opinion,  I  think  she  can't  be  offended 
at  my  sending  •  the  chests  to  such  place  as  she 
should  direct.  Really,  Jack,  I  should  have  lost  the 
whole  if  I  had  not  sent  it.  We  were  the  last  out 
of  York,  as  I  always  imagined  we  should  be.  I 
escaped  with  Colonel  Knox.  The  Hessians  honored 
us  with  a  few  shot,  but  to  do  them  justice,  they 
fire  badly.  When  you  come  to  town  (alias  to 
camp),  I'll  let  you  know  how  we  retreated,  which, 
perhaps,  may  not  be  unamusing.  I  am  ut  ante." 

From  Dr.  McKnight,  October  llth:- 

"  DEAR  JACK,  —  Not  the  discovery  of  land  by 
the  long  lost  wandering  mariner,  could,  to  him, 


1776.]  LETTER   FROM   HIS   BROTHER.  107 

afford  more  hearty  pleasure,  than  the  prospect  of 
your  recovery  yields  satisfaction  to  me. 

"  The  dreadful  prognostic  asserted  by  Dr.  Foster 
chilled  my  very  soul ;  and  nothing,  my  dear  Jack, 
could  have  so  demonstrated  or  warned  me  of  my 
attachment  to  you,  but  the  shocking,  racking  pros- 
pect of  a  long,  or  an  eternal  separation  from  you. 

"  I  have  long  persuaded  myself  that  my  feelings 
were  callous,  that  my  sensibility  has  lain  dormant 
some  years ;  but ,  Jack,  had  that  been  the  fact,  the 
expectation  of  the  tidings  of  your  dissolution 
would  have  been  nothing  more  than  a  Case,  owing 
to  the  mere  frailty  of  human  nature,  knowing  that 
we  all  must  die.  But  happy  am  I,  that  the  news 
of  your  recovery  is  averred  by  your  own  pen. 
Of  accusations,  Jack,  be  silent.  I  have  wrote  and 
rode,  but  have  not  seen  you.  The  lowering  storm 
of  last  Sunday  (although  the  distance  of  Rochelle 
in  my  way)  combined  with  a  cursed  ill-natured 
complaint  of  my  bowels,  caused  my  return.  Now, 
Jack,  how  are  the  ladies?  May  I  know  by  your 
mouth  or  pen?  May  I  expect  to  see  you?  In 
this  hope,  I  am,  and  ever  will  be, 

"Yours,  CHARLES  MCKNIGHT." 

This  letter  is  directed  to  New  Eochelle.  His 
brother's  letter  from  Eoxbury,  October  25th,  also 
evinces  much  anxiety :  — 

"  DEAR  BROTHER,  —  I  have  not  heard  anything 
of  you,  or  from  you,  since  I  parted  with  you  at 
Rye.  But  I  hope  by  this  time  you  are  perfectly 
recovered.  I  know  not  where  you  are,  but  shall 


108  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

direct  this  letter  to  you  at  the  General  Hospital 
near  New  York.  We  are  all  well,  but  no  news  to 
write  you.  We  have  just  heard  of  an  action  near 
New  York,  but  don't  learn  the  particulars  ;  which 
I  hope  you  will  transmit  as  soon  as  may  be. 

"I  arrived  here,  after -a  pleasant  journey,  the 
Sabbath  evening  following.  Send  us  word,  as 
soon  as  possible,  where  you  are,  and  how  you  do. 
I  saw  Dr.  Stevens  last  week.  I  mentioned  the 
money  you  had  to  dispose  of,  which  he  will  be 
glad  of,  and  will  give  you  good  security ;  —  the 
interest  paid  when  due,  and  the  principal  when 
called  for.  You  may  send  it,  by  some  careful 
hand,  the  first  opportunity;  and  I  will  take  his 
note  or  bond  for  the  money,  and  deliver  it  to  you 
the  first  opportunity. 

"  P.  S.  I  think  it  was  five  hundred  pounds. 
Our  family  send  their  love. 

"  From  your  loving  brother,    E.  WARREN." 

There  was  an  attack  made  by  the  English  army 
at  Throg's  Neck,  on  the  twelfth  of  October,  but 
succesfully  resisted  by  our  men.  This  was  proba- 
bly the  one  referred  to  by  Eben  Warren.  Dr.  Ste- 
vens was  the  father  of  Mrs.  Eben  Warren.  It  is 
gratifying  to  learn  that  at  this  period,  after  his 
severe  illness,  my  father  had  five  hundred  pounds 
to  invest.  The  surgeon's  pay  was  thirty-three 
dollars,  thirty-three  cents  per  month. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

1776-1777. 
PROGRESS    OF   THE   WAR.  -  MEDICAL   OFFICERS. 

Letter  from  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Letter  from  Major  Giles.  —  Orders  from 
Dr.  Morgan.  —  Samuel  Glover's  Letter.  —  Dissatisfaction  with  Dr. 
Morgan.  —  Dr.  Craigie's  Letter.  —  Mr.  Lovell's  Letter.  —  Prevail- 
ing Dissatisfaction  with  Washington's  Fabian  Policy.  —  Letter  from 
Dr.  Craigie.  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Morgan  on  Applications  for  Leave 
to  attend  Lectures.  —  Letter  from  Dr.  Eustis.  —  Retreat  of  the 
Army  through  New  Jersey.  —  Garnall's  Letter  from  New  Bruns- 
wick. —  Dr.  Warren  applies  for  Office  of  Sub-Director.  —  General 
Lee's  Discontent.  —  His  Capture. 


armies  continued  in  the   neighborhood  of 
each  other  ;  Washington  foiling  the  designs  of 
the  enemy,  by  frequent  change   of  position   and 
by  strong  entrenchments,  —  occasional  skirmishes 
taking  place. 

Dr.  Morgan's  next  letter  is  dated  from  the  camp 
near  White  Plains,  November  2d  :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  When  I  left  Hackensack,  I  ex- 
pected to  have  returned  in  a  few  days.  The 
present  situation  of  the  armies,  posted  in  full 
view  of  each  other,  forbids  me  to  think  farther 
of  it  at  present  ;  and,  indeed,  I  find  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  continue  with  it  (our  army)  so  long 
as  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy  and  the  prospect  of 
an  action  continues.  I  don't  yet  know  the  exact 


110  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

number  of  the  wounded  in  the  last  action,  as  I 
have  not  had  my  returns  made  me ;  an  oversight 
too  frequent  on  this  side,  as  it  is  so  near  at  hand. 
I  doubt  not  you  will  favor  me  with  an  account 
of  everything  relative  to  the  hospitals  at  Hack- 
ensack. 

"  If  any  of  the  regimental  surgeons  want  med- 
icines, please  send  them  to  Mr.  Cutting,  at  New- 
ark, and  apply  to  Mr.  Delamater  to  pay  any 
accounts  you  may  contract  for.  I  shall  desire 
him,  however,  to  pay  you  up  to  August  1st,  and 
all  the  rest  of  the  gentlemen  at  the  same  time. 
Should  be  glad  if  you  can  favor  him  with  an  ac- 
count of  your  expenses,  at  Long  Island.  Please 
to  favor  Mr.  Delamater  with  as  many  distinct  re- 
ceipts for  your  pay  monthly,  as  there  are  months 
due  to  you  (which  I  believe  to  have  been  from 
the  31st  of  May),  to  31st  of  August." 

A  portion  of  the  above  letter  is  lost.  Dr. 
Morgan  writes  again,  the  next  day,  from  North 
Castle :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  Since  I  wrote  yesterday,  the 
General  has  given  me  to  understand  that  a  large 
hospital  is  to  be  established  on  this  side.  I  am  to 
desire  you  will  send  up  Mr.  Ledyard  immediately, 
as  I  shall  want  him  to  go  to  Stamwood,  for  the 
medicines  and  hospital  stores  there.  Send  also 
Mr.  Newel.  I  find,  on  looking  over  the  list  of 
Mates,  that  there  are  more,  by  a  third,  at  Newark 
and  Hackensack,  than  on  this  side.  If  you  have 
not  hands  enough,  after  sending  off  those  two 


1776.]  LETTERS   FROM   DR.   MORGAN.  Ill 

Mates,  write  to  Dr.  Foster  to  send  two  from  New- 
ark; or  employ  such  as  offer,  and  you  approve. 
As  that  place  is  so  distant  from  the  army,  Newark 
must  not  receive  any  more  sick ;  and  as  fast  as 
the  number  of  sick  lessens  there,  Mates  must  be 
detached  for  this  place,  so  as  to  bring  all  the 
business  of  the  General  Hospital  there  to  a 
close  with  all  convenient  dispatch;  of  which  I 
shall  write  word  to  Dr.  Foster.  I  must  beg  you 
will  endeavor  to  procure  me  a  list  of  the  medi- 
cines for,  sale,  belonging  to  Dr.  Brownjohn ;  and 
the  selling  prices.  We  have  not  a  vomit  on  this 
side.  Be  pleased,  therefore,  to  send  some  tartar 
emetic,  if  to  be  got,  and  some  jalap  and  salts. 

"If  Dr.  Brownjohn  is  backwards  to  sell,  let  me 
know;  and  I  will  take  measures  accordingly.  I 
write  in  haste,  and  have  only  to  add,  that  Dr.  S. 
has  nothing  to  do  with  any  hospital  under  iny 
care ;  and  you  are  not  to  deliver  anything  to 
any  person,  out  of  the  hospital ;  but  only  to 
the  sick  under  our  care,  etc. ;  but  by  an  order 
from  the  commander-in-chief,  or  myself,  as  I  have 
spoken  to  G.  W. 

I  am,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  MORGAN." 

It  is  curious  to  look  back  on  the  condition  of 
our  army  at  this  time.  It  was  for  the  most  part 
an  assemblage  of  Militia  drawn  from  the  different 
Provinces,  and  enlisted  for  a  few  months  only. 
Many  of  them  chose  their  own  officers ;  and  con- 
sequently, in  many  instances,  selected  the  most 


112  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

popular  instead  of  the  best  qualified ;  —  a  course 
we  have  recently  seen  exemplified  in  the  late  Re- 
bellion,—  a  course  which  resulted  in  the  Race  of 
Bull  Run,  and  the  other  early  disasters  of  the 
Rebellion. 

On  the  landing  of  a  party  of  British  and  Hes- 
sian troops  at  New  York,  the  troops  left  to  defend 
the  entrenchments  immediately  took  flight,  and 
communicated  their  panic  to  two  brigades,  who 
were  sent  to  support  them.  In  vain  did  Wash- 
ington try  to  check  them,  snapping  his  pistols,  and 
even  drawing  his  sword  to  arrest  the  fugitives. 
Driven  entirely  beside  himself,  he  would  not  leave 
the  field,  until  compelled  by  his  attendants. 

The  Continental  Officers  were  not,  in  general, 
very  particular  as  to  their  uniforms.  Most  of  the 
men  were  very  ragged  by  this  time.  The  officers 
provided  for  themselves,  pretty  much  according  to 
their  own  fancy,  and  procured  their  uniform  in 
the  best  way  they  could.  The  following  com- 
mission from  Major  Giles,  while  my  father  was 
still  at  Hackensack,  seems  to  come  much  more 
within  the  province  of  a  tailor  than  a  surgeon.  It 
was  written  from  North  Castle,  November  4th:  — 

"  SIR,  —  Should  be  much  obliged  to  you,  if  you 
would  get  me  as  much  blue  cloth,  as  will  be 
sufficient  to  make  me  a  coat  and  waistcoat ;  like- 
wise, white  Shaloon  for  lining,  and  plain  white 
worked  buttons :  also  as  much  white  Corduroy, 
or  any  white  stuff  which  you  shall  think  will  be 
proper  for  a  winter  waistcoat  and  breeches, — 


1776.]  DISCONTENT   IN   THE   ARMY.  113 

Trimmings.     Mr.  Church  informs  me  he  gave  you 
twenty-four  dollars,  which  I  gave  Mr.  J.  Blanchard. 
Please  to  send  them  over  as  soon  as  possible. 
"  I  am,  with  regard,  your  most  obt.  humb.  servt. 

"Aa.  GILES." 

This  letter  is  directed  to  "John  Warren,  Esq., 
Surgeon  in  the  Gen.  Hospital,  Hackensack,  New 
Jersey."  It  has  the  appearance  of  a  mere  busi- 
ness letter  from  a  stranger,  much  such  an  one  as 
a  person  would  write  to  a  tradesman. 

At  this  time,  as  I  have  already  hinted,  the  first 
warlike  impulses  had  begun  to  cool.  It  is,  I  be- 
lieve, an  old  remark,  that  war  is  always  popular 
with  the  masses,  in  its  commencement.  After  its 
hardships,  deprivations,  and  calamities  have  been 
realized,  a  reaction  takes  place.  The  ardor  ex- 
cited by  indignation  at  foreign  oppression,  kin- 
dled into  a  blaze  of  enthusiasm  by  the  events 
of  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill,  was  damped  by 
the  disastrous  event  of  Long  Island.  Officers  and 
men  became  anxious  to  draw  off  from  the  army 
upon  all  possible  excuses.  This  disaffection  ex- 
tended to  the  Medical  Corps,  added  seriously  to 
the  troubles  of  Washington,  and  called  forth  the 
following  Order,  given  by  his  direction  :  — 

"To  the  Regimental  Surgeons  and  Mates,  be- 
longing to  the  army  of  his  Excellency,  General 
Washington,  now  absent  with,  or  without,  the 
sick  of  their  respective  regiments  and  brigades, 
on  the  West  side  of  Hudson  River. 


114  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23 

"  GENTLEMEN,  —  Few  of  the  surgeons  or  sick 
allowed  to  remove  from  camp,  some  time  ago, 
being  yet  returned,  and  no  reports  made  of  them 
to  me;  his  Excellency,  the  Commander-in-chief, 
conceiving  that  his  former  indulgence  to  the  sick, 
in  permitting  them  to  retire  from  the  camp  for 
the  recovery  of  their  health,  has  been  much 
abused,  both  by  the  sick  and  by  the  generality 
of  the  Surgeons  and  Mates,  under  whose  care 
they  are  allowed  this  indulgence ;  —  It  is  his 
Excellency's  orders,  therefore,  that  each  of  you  do 
forthwith  wait  upon  Dr.  Isaac  Foster,  Esq.,  at 
Newark,  or  Dr.  Warren,  Esq.,  at  Hackensack, 
Surgeons  in  the  General  Hospital,  whichever  is 
nearest  at  hand ;  and  make  a  faithful  and  accu- 
rate report  of  the  state  of  the  sick  and  wounded 
under  your  care ;  and  remove  those  who  are  fit 
subjects,  immediately  to  the  General  Hospital  un- 
der their  care  ;  for*  which  you  are  to  apply  to  the 
Quartermaster-general's  Department  for  wagons; 
and  accompany  them  yourselves. 

"  Such  of  you  as  those  gentlemen  require  to 
assist  them  for  the  present  in  the  General  Hos- 
pital, and  who  are  willing  to  attend  their  sick 
there  under  their  direction,  are  allowed  to  do 
so  until  further  orders;  all  others  are  to  repair 
immediately  to  headquarters,  and  join  their  re- 
spective regiments;  first  furnishing  me  with  an 
accurate  register  duly  certified,  of  the  state  of 
the  sick  that  went  out  with  them,  or  have  been 
since  under  their  care ;  specifying  the  times  of 
their  being  taken  ill,  their  diseases,  and  events 


1776.]  ORDERS   FROM   DR.    MORGAN.  115 

as  to  death,  recovery,  or  continuance ;  whether 
any  of  the  sick  have  been  allowed  to  withdraw 
from  under  their  care,  and  when  ?  —  as  all  those 
who  are  absent  without  leave  must  naturally  be 
looked  upon  as  deserters.  And  the  Surgeons  and 
Mates  who  cannot  give  a  regular  and  satisfactory 
account  of  the  faithful  discharge  of  their  duty, 
necessarily  subject  themselves  to  an  inquiry  into 
their  conduct. 

"  Signed  by  order  and  with  the  approbation  of 
his  Excellency,  George  Washington,  Esq.,  Com- 
mander-in-chief of  the  American  forces,  at  the 
camp  near  the  White  Plains,  November  4,  1776. 

"JOHN  MORGAN, 

"Director-general  of  the  General  Hospital  and  Physician-in-chief. 

"  A  true  copy :  J.  FOSTER,  or  J.  WARREN, 

"  Surgeon  of  the  General  Hospital" 

The  above  order  from  Dr.  Morgan  was  accom- 
panied with  the  following :  — 

"  To  DR.  JOHN  WARREN,  ESQ.,  —  You  are  de- 
sired to  get  Mr.  Delamater  to  make  out  ten  or  a 
dozen  copies  of  the  foregoing  circular  order  to  the 
regimental  surgeons,  to  be  forwarded  to  such  as 
are  at  Orange  County,  Tappan,  Haverstraw,  Paras- 
mus,  Polrey's,  etc.,  under  cover,  to  be  communi- 
cated from  one  to  another,  until  all  the  sick  are 
brought  in.  Let  my  name  be  put  to  the  letter, 
and  each  copy  be  certified  to  be  a  true  copy, 
either  by  Doctor  Foster  or  you,  as  underneath. 
Send  Doctor  Foster  two  or  three  copies,  and  retain 
one  in  your  keeping ;  the  rest  to  be  sent  on  as 
already  mentioned.  J.  M." 


116  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

This  order  and  note  were  in  the  handwriting  of 
Dr.  Morgan,  and  we  may  observe  the  care  with 
which  the  title  of  Esquire  is  given,  in  an  order 
meant  to  be  formal.  Both  papers  seem  to  have 
been  inclosed  in  a  full  and  less  formal  letter,  of 
a  few  days  later  date. 

"  CAMP  NEAR  WHITE  PLAINS,  November  7,  1776. 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  As  the  enemy  are  now  retiring 
before  our  army  towards  New  York,  and  a  detach- 
ment has  filed  off  to  harass  them,  I  imagine  the 
chief  of  the  army  will  follow.  Of  course,  I  am 
more  than  ever  of  opinion  that  Hackensack  will  be 
the  chief  place,  or  headquarters,  for  the  General 
Hospital  of  our  army. 

"  I  hope,  therefore,  that  you  are  going  on  with 
spirit  in  enlarging  and  accommodating  suitable 
quarters  for  the  patients,  and  that  for  that  purpose 
you  apply  to,  and  receive  ample  assistance  from 
General  Greene  and  Colonel  Biddle,  Deputy 
Quartermaster-general,  etc. 

"  You  will  be  pleased  to  acquaint  all  the  sur- 
geons of  regiments  and  mates,  that  went  from 
this  army  to  the  Jerseys  and  Orange  County ;  in 
short,  all  you  meet  or  hear  of,  that  are  from  camp, 
and  anywhere  on  the  west  side  of  the  North  River, 
under  a  pretext  of  taking  care  of  the  sick  or 
wounded  (except  such  as  you  require,  and  who 
are  willing  to  assist  you  in  the  business  of  the 
General  Hospital  at  Hackensack),  that  it  is  his 
Excellency's  orders,  that  they  make  a  report 
of  their  sick  and  wounded  to  you,  that  they 


1776.]  ORDERS    FROM   DR.    MORGAN.  117 

deliver  them  up  to  your  care,  and  return  immedi- 
ately to  camp. 

"  As  the  General's  former  indulgence  in  allowing 
the  sick  to  retire  from  camp  for  the  recovery  of 
their  health,  under  certain  surgeons  or  mates  of 
the  brigade  to  which  they  belonged,  has  been 
greatly  abused,  both  by  the  sick  and  by  the 
surgeons ;  insomuch  that  few  of  either  have  re- 
turned, although  the  generality  of  the  sick,  it  is 
well  known,  are  sufficiently  recovered  to  do  duty  ; 
and  not  one  of  those  surgeons  or  mates  have  made 
any  report  either  to  the  Commander-in-chief  or  to 
me,  by  which  the  state  of  the  sick  can  be  known ; 
they  are  requested  to  furnish  me  with  a  proper 
certified  register  of  the  state  of  the  sick  that 
went  out  under  their  care,  a  report  of  the  times 
when  any  of  them  deceased,  and  the  recovery 
of  others ;  likewise  whether  any  of  the  sick  have 
been  allowed  to  withdraw  from  under  their  care. 

"  All  the  soldiers  who,  whether  under  pretense 
of  sickness  or  not,  are  absent  without  leave,  must 
naturally  be  looked  upon  as  deserters,  and  the 
surgeons  or  mates,  who  cannot  give  a  regular 
and  satisfactory  account  of  the  faithful  discharge 
of  their  trust,  necessarily  subject  themselves  to  an 
inquiry  into  their  conduct.  I  shall  inclose  to  you 
a  circular  letter  to  be  communicated  to  the  regi- 
mental surgeons  and  mates,  and  directions  how  to 
do  it,  which  please  to  observe. 

"I  am  to  desire  you  to  examine  into  the  state 
of  the  sick  who  offer  to  you,  and  have  been  long  ill, 
—  certifying  those  whom  you  think  will  be  unfit 


118  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

for  any  further  service  during  the  present  cam- 
paign, and  that  have  friends  to  take  care  of  them, 
and  who  are  desirous  of  a  discharge,  —  that  I  may 
procure  it  for  them. 

"  The  enemy  are  now  retreating.  I  suppose  we 
shall  soon  follow.  I  hope,  therefore,  before  it  is 
long,  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  pay  you  a  visit  at 
Hackensack.  Compliments  to  all  friends.  Let  me 
have  weekly  returns,  punctually. 

"  I  remain,  dear  sir,  your  most  obedient  and  very 
humble  servant,  JOHN  MORGAN." 

"  To  Dr.  JOHN  WARREN,  Esq.,  Surgeon  of  the  General  Hospital  at 
Hackensack." 

It  is  sufficiently  evident  from  this  letter,  and  the 
circular  and  note  which  accompanied  it,  that  the 
difficulties  which  Dr.  Warren  had  complained  of 
were  now  fully  remedied.  The  circular  above, 
if  there  was  nothing  else,  requires  the  regimental 
surgeons  to  report  to  Drs.  Foster  and  Warren, 
and  to  act  under  them  at  the  hospital.  They  are 
virtually  subordinated  to  the  hospital  surgeons. 

The  next  letter,  dated  November  5,  from  Samuel 
K.  Glover,  shows  some  of  the  difficulties  which 
were  experienced  by  officers  of  the  army  at  this 
period :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  As  it  is  very  expensive  living  at 
present,  in  the  army,  —  eyery  article  of  food  being 
sold  at  so  high  a  rate,  all  of  which  I  am  obliged  to 
buy,  except  meat  and  bread,  so  that  it  overbal- 
ances my  rations,  and  I  am  in  such  a  condition  as  to 
clothes  (of  which  I  need  not  mention  the  price) 


1776.]       PECUNIARY   EMBARRASSMENTS    OF    OFFICERS.       119 

that  I  am  ashamed  to  go  into  gentlemen's  com- 
•pany,  because  of  my  rags,  and,  no  doubt,  they  as 
much  of  me  as  I  am  of  myself.  Having  consid- 
ered these  circumstances,  I  think  it  necessary  for 
me  to  make  a  proposal  which  will  be  of  infinite 
service  to  rne,  and  of  no  disadvantage  to  you,  viz. : 
for  you  to  relinquish  to  me  my  pay  while  we  tarry 
in  the  army,  and  that  time  I  will  make  up  to  you, 
after  we  leave  the  service.  By  complying  with 
this  request,  you  will,  much  oblige  your  humble 
servant,  SAMUEL  K.  GLOVER." 

The  great  perils  of  a  nation  call  forth  the  patri- 
otism of  all  her  citizens,  not  absolutely  debased  by 
avarice  or  self-indulgence.  Patriotism  spreads  lil^e 
wild-fire,  and  takes  the  place  of  luxury  or  love  of 
show.  In  the  fervor  of  the  moment,  men  are 
ready  to  give  all  they  possess  for  the  common 
cause.  But  the  first  effort  over,  especially  after 
delay  or  reverse,  and  they  see  no  immediate  fruit 
from-their  efforts,  they  begin  to  ask  themselves,  — 
"  If  I  have  made  sacrifices,  why  should  I  not  be 
rewarded  as  well  as  another."  Then  comes  the 
struggle  for  office.  As  it  was  in  the  days  of 
Queen  Elizabeth  it  is  now,  and  was  in  the  time 
of  our  Revolution. 

General  Washington  could  not  know,  nor  could 
the  heads  of  departments  under  him,  the  qualifica- 
tions of  all  who  applied  for  office.  With  regard  to 
medical  appointments,  as  in  others,  he  was  nat- 
urally disposed  to  prefer  those  of  whom  he  had 
some  personal  knowledge. 


120  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

On  this  account,  it  may  be,  that  Eastern  men 
sometimes  thought  themselves  neglected.  On  the 
other  hand,  there  must  always  be  many  worth- 
less, designing  men,  who  use  the  basest  arts  to 
obtain  situations  under  government.  Some  of 
these  are  successful,  and  men  who  are  conscious 
that  they  are  better  qualified,  are  disappointed, 
and  become  hostile  to  those  in  power. 

Dr.  Morgan  had  made  the  most  active  exertions 
to  reform  abuses  in  his  department,  and  render  it 
as  perfect  as  possible.  It  is  most  likely  these  very 
exertions  gave  offense  and  occasioned  complaints 
of  various  kinds. 

Some  dissatisfaction  with  the  Director-general, 
appears  in  the  following  letter  from  Andrew 
Cragie,  Esq.,  though  Dr.  Morgan  is  not  the  enemy 
spoken  of.  We  see,  by  this  letter,  that  the  elec- 
tric telegraph  has  been  falsely  accused,  if  it  has 
been  supposed  to  be  the  origin  of  all  false  in- 
telligence in  time  of  war.  Falsehood  was  quite 
as  rife  in  1776,  as  in  1866.  Perhaps  we  have 
this  gain :  that  Truth  does  not  now  have  to  put 
on  his  boots,  but  may  follow  Falsehood,  pari 
gressu. 

Dr.  Cragie  writes  from  Fort  George,  November 
5th:  — 

"  MY  DEAR  WARREN,  —  Major  Stuart  arrived 
here  this  evening,  and  sets  out  early  in  the  morn- 
ing for  your  camp.  I  have  long  wished  to  write 
you,  and  cannot  miss  so  good  an  opportunity,  al- 
though it  affords  me  but  a  few  moments.  I  flat- 


1776.]  MR.  CRAGIE'S  LETTER.  121 

tered  myself  much  when  I  came  into  this  depart- 
ment, from  the  expectation  of  a  frequent  inter- 
course with  many  worthy  friends  at  New  York.  I 
scarcely  know  what  to  attribute  it  to,  that  I  have 
been  so  disappointed. 

"  You  cannot  conceive  how  ignorant  we  are  of 
every  transaction  in  your  camp.  I  am  sure  if  the 
two  armies  were  as  far  as  the  poles  from  each 
other,  we  could  not  be  more  so.  The  channel  of 
intelligence  is  so  clogged  with  lies,  that  the  truth 
never  reaches  us ;  and  it  is  a  general  complaint 
that  the  gentlemen  at  York  have  entirely  forgot 
their  connections  here ;  or  have  come  into  an 
agreement  to  answer  no  letters  from  this  quar- 
ter. I  hope  the  contrary  of  this,  my  friend,  with 
respect  to  my  letters.  Pray  let  me  know  how 
things  are  going,  and  your  thoughts  of  the  situa- 
tion of  affairs.  Many  gentlemen  here  are  inter- 
ested in  this  request  to  you ;  and  promise  them- 
selves much  pleasure  in  your  compliance.  Dr. 
Brown  in  particular. 

"Ever  since  the  last  engagement  on  the  Lake 
we  have  been  in  constant  expectation  of  an  at- 
tack at  Ticonderoga ;  but  the  enemy  has  at  last 
gone  off  without  doing  anything  farther,  and  it 
is  now  believed,  as  a  matter  of  certainty,  that 
nothing  will  be  done  here  this  season.  Major 
Stuart,  I  understand,  goes  express  with  the  intelli- 
gence to  Washington  and  Congress. 

"  I  regretted  much  when  I  left  New  York,  that  I 
could  not  spend  a  little  more  time  with  you.  You 
doubtless  heard  of  the  settlement  I  made  with  Dr. 


122  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

Morgan  ?  I  have  only  to  tell  you,  that  I  might 
have  found  myself  on  a  fool's  errand  when  I  came 
home ;  for  I  have  been  made  to  understand,  by 
the  gentleman  who  has  the  direction  here,  that 
J.  M.  is  not  vested  with  the  power  of  making  ap- 
pointments for  this  department ;  so  that  in  giv- 
ing me  a  warrant,  he  could  only  promise  him- 
self a  temporary  riddance  of  a  troublesome  person  ; 
and,  indeed,  he  might  have  some  distant  hopes  of 
its  proving  agreeable  to  the  Director  here ;  but 
it  was  an  imposition  upon  me.  As  it  happens,  I 
have  made  out  well,  and  am  exceedingly  happy 
in  my  situation,  but  his  warrant  was  no  recom- 
mendation. 

"  I  cannot  recur  .back  to  a  late  period  when  my 
situation  was  truly  distressing,  without  sensibly 
feeling  my  obligations  to  a  Warren,  Me  Henry,  and 
others,  for  their  assistance  against  the  attempt  of 
an  ungenerous  man  to  ruin  me ;  and  when  I  re- 
flect upon  the  complicated  villainies  of  his  char- 
acter, I  cannot  restrain  my  indignation  within 
bounds.  A  person  of  elevated  station,  who  aims 
at  distinction,  deserves  to  be  distinguished  without 
ears,  after  prostituting  his  soul  to  falsehood  and 
dishonor,  as  he  has  done.  I  say  this  with  sub- 
mission. 

"  I  will  make  you  any  returns  in  my  power  for 
the  pleasure  of  a  letter.  Any  information  from 
this  quarter  that  you  may  want  I  will  procure 
as  far  as  I  can.  Bestow  only  one  moment  upon 
an  old  friend.  You  see  I  beg  like  an  emperor. 
Kemember  me  to  McHenry,  Adams,  McKnight, 


1776.]  ARMY    DIFFICULTIES.  123 

and  all  my  worthy  acquaintances,  particularly  to 
Eustis.  Tell  him  if  he  does  not  answer  the  let- 
ter I  wrote  him  a  few  days  since  by  Mr.  Vickors, 
I  shall  not  easily  forgive  him. 

"  I  have  some  expectation  of  seeing  York  this 
winter.  There  is  a  gentleman  here  of  the  pro- 
fession who  has  some  distant  thoughts  of  settling 
in  Salem,  provided  you  do  not  return  to  that 
place.  He  has  requested  me  to  ask  you  the  ques- 
tion, whether  you  think  you  shall  ? 

"  I  am  much  disappointed  that  Dr.  McHenry  is 
not  in  this  department.  I  have  many  reasons  for 
wishing  he  was.  I  think  he  would  prefer  it,  to 
being  where  he  is.  We  live  like  princes,  in  the 
utmost  harmony  and  social  enjoyment. 

"I  wish  you  would  be  so  kind  as  to  write  to  me, 
by  the  next  post,  to  Albany,  and  inclose  the  let- 
ters in  a  cover,  directed  to  Samuel  Stringer,  Esq., 
Director-general  of  the  Hospital  at  Fort  George, 
and  ask  Eustis  to  do  likewise." 

This  letter  affords  additional  proof  that  in  the 
army  of  the  Eevolution  all  were  not  perfectly 
harmonious.  Some  wanted  office  who  could  not 
get  it ;  some  appointments  were  made  upon  de- 
ceitful recommendations ;  some  bad  men  held 
high  office,  and  some  good  men  were  neglected. 
Perhaps  the  greatest  wonder  is,  that  so  few 
became  traitors,  so  few  changed  sides  in  the 
struggle  of  a  feeble  union  of  colonies,  against  the 
most  powerful  nation  in  Europe. 

Whilst  still  at  Hackensack,  Dr.  Warren  received 


LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

the  following  letter  from  Mr.  James  Lovell,  a 
gentleman  in  Boston,  who  had  been  imprisoned 
by  General  Howe,  for  holding  some  prohibited 
correspondence.  Washington  had  negotiated  for 
his  exchange,  but  for  some  time  ineffectually. 
After  about  six  months'  close  confinement,  he 
was  exchanged  for  Governor  Skene.  The  latter 
had  been  appointed  Governor  of  Ticonderoga  and 
Crown  Point,  and  empowered  to  raise  a  regiment 
in  America.  On  this  ground,  he  was  taken  into 
custody  when  he  arrived  in  Philadelphia,  June, 
1775;  his  papers  were  examined  by  order  of 
Congress,  and  he  was' retained  prisoner.  Mr.  Lov- 
ell  was  kept  in  Boston  till  the  British  evacuated 
it,  and  was  then  taken  to  Halifax. 

In  November  of  this  year,  both  the  prisoners 
were  brought  to  New  York,  and  the  exchange 
took  place  there.  It  was  very  natural  that  the 
officers  of  the  army  should  gladly  render  Mr.  Lov- 
ell  whatever  civilities  were  in  their  power.  He 
writes  from  Fort  Lee,  November  6th  :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  General  Greene  is  not  at  this  post 
at  present,  but  the  knowledge  of  the  characters 
of  the  gentlemen  here,  actually  on  the  spot,  will 
enable  you  to  judge  how  extremely  obliged  I  am 
for  your  billets,  in  addition  to  the  kindness  of 
your  carriage.  I  shall  tarry  at  this  place  until  my 
trunk  arrives,  through  your  kind  attention  to  it ; 
if  Dr.  Foster  has  not  rendered  that  needless.  I 
will  be  more  full  from  headquarters. 

"  Yr.  fr.  and  h.  servt.  J.  LOVELL." 


1776.]  DISSATISFACTION   WITH   WASHINGTON.  125 

During  Mr.  Lovell's  imprisonment,  he  was  asso- 
ciated with  Ethan  Allen  in  the  same  jail.  The 
billets  referred  to  were,  doubtless,  letters  of  in- 
troduction from  my  father  to  General  Greene,  and 
others.  On  the  10th  of  December,  he  was  chosen 
delegate  to  Congress,  and  reflected  for  many 
years.  He  became  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Foreign  Relations,  —  an  admirer 'and  correspon- 
dent of  General  Gates,  and  totally  averse  to  the 
so-called  "  Fabian  "  policy  of  Washington. 

Let  it  never  be  forgotten  how  great  was  the 
clamor  against  the  dilatory  movements  of  our  great 
"leader  in  17*76  and  1777  !  How  strong  and  num- 
erous were  the  voices  which  would  have  led  him  — 
with  an  ill-clothed,  half-demoralized  army,  whose 
diminished  numbers  he  was  laboring  to  conceal 
from  the  enemy  —  to  give  battle  to  the  well-disci- 
plined British  troops,  who  never  acknowledged 
defeat.  Never  was  the  greatness  of  Washington 
displayed  in  a  higher  degree  than  at  this  period, 
when  the  popular  clamor  and  the  shafts  of  bitter 
rivalry  were  added  to  the  ill-conditioned  and  per- 
plexing state  of  his  army ;  and  the  fear  of  giving 
a  knowledge  of  that  state  to  the  enemy. 

The  history  of  our  nation,  if  no  other,  gives 
abundant  proof  that  it  is  harder  for  one  at  the 
head  of  military  or  of  state  affairs,  to  resist  the 
daily  importunities  of  those  immediately  about 
him,  particularly  if  supported  by  popular  opinion, 
than  to  meet  the  enemy  in  the  severest  conflict. 
To  officers  and  soldiers,  both,  the  tedium  of  camp 
life,  in  addition  to  its  privations  and  actual  suffer- 


126  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  23. 

ings,  is  much  the  most  difficult  to  endure  without 
complaint. 

When  Mr.  Lovell  thanks  my  father  for  a  coach, 
we  are  not  to  suppose  that  the  hospital  surgeon, 
on  a  salary  of  thirty-three  dollars  per  month,  kept 
his  coach.  The  "  carriage "  was  probably  some 
sort  of  vehicle  connected  with  the  hospital. 

The  following,  from  Isaac  Ledyard,  dated  No- 
vember 14th,  is  not  very  important,  but  it  serves 
to  show  the  readiness  with  which  Dr.  Warren  as- 
sisted those  who  came  within  his  reach  :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  called  at  the  post-office,  agree- 
able to  your  desire,  and  delivered  your  letter.  I 
found  the  inclosed  lodged  there,  but  could  hear 
nothing  of  your  papers,  or  the  reason  why  they 
were  detained.  Dr.  Morgan  went  into  New  Eng- 
land the  day  I  came,  and  is  not  yet  returned,  so 
that  I  have  been  lying  on  my  oars,  ever  since  I 
have  been  here. 

"  I  have  some  reason  to  think  I  shall  come  again 
into  the  Jerseys  soon.  Whilst  I  am  here,  I  shall 
remit  you  all  the  letters  and  papers  received  from 
the  post-office,  and  think  myself  happy  in  having 
it  in  my  power  to  oblige  you,  even  in  such  small 
matters ;  as  it  gives  me  opportunity  to  show  how 
much  I  am  your  most  obliged  humble  servant, 

ISAAC  LEDYARD." 

"  GENERAL  HOSPITAL  AT  NORTHCASTLE." 

Dr.  Cragie  writes  from  Fort  George,  November 
16th :  — 


1776.]  DR.  CRAGIE'S  LETTER.  127 

"  DEAR  WARREN,  —  I  take  {he  freedom  to  intro- 
duce to  your  acquaintance  Dr.  Tillotson,  one  of 
the  senior  surgeons  of  this  department.  As  he 
possesses  all  the  good  qualities  of  a  gentleman,  he 
will  recommend  himself  to  your  esteem.  As  a 
very  particular  friend  of  mine,  any  marks  of  civ- 
ility will  be  acknowledged  as  additional  obliga- 
tions to  those  already  conferred  on  your  sincere 
friend  and  humble  servt.,  ANDW.  CRAGIE." 

Directed  to  Dr.  John  Warren  at  the  General 
Hospital,  New  York. 

The  letters  of  Dr.  Morgan  at  this  time  are 
pretty  frequent.  The  next  one  is  dated  Novem- 
ber 21st,  from  North  Castle:  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  A  report  prevailed  here  yesterday; 
that  five  thousand  of  the  enemy  were  landed  at, 
or  near  Hackensack.  Under  the  influence  of  that 
report,  I  wrote  to  have  my  things  removed  to 
Newark,  and  to  desire  your  assistance.  To-day 
the  report  is  contradicted,  and  I  now  write  to 
counteract  my  former  desires.  Let  matters  rest, 
but  in  case  of  real  danger  I  know  you  will  be 
ready  enough  to  assist.  All  I  have,  therefore,  to 
add  on  this  head,  is  to  request,  if  unexpected 
danger  should  threaten,  you  will  be  so  good  •  as 
to  be  attentive  and  act  for  me,  as  I  would  for  you, 
in  like  circumstances ;  or  as  you  wish  any  one 
would  do  for  you. 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  obliging  letter,  and  for  the 
information  it  contained.  Must  beg  you  will  con- 


128  LIFE   OP   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  23. 

tinue  to  have  your  weekly  returns  in  readiness  to 
send  me  by  every  favorable  opportunity.  I  hope 
I  shall  get  things  in  such  readiness  on  this  side, 
that  I  can  leave  it  in  a  week  or  ten  days,  and 
go  to  Hackensack. 

"  Mr.  Crosby  has  applied  to  me  for  leave  to  go  to 
Philadelphia,  and  attend  the  lectures  this  winter. 
I  leave  the  matter  to  you.  As  he  is  the  third 
that  has  applied  for  that  liberty,  I  have  told  him, 
and  shall  tell  others,  when  they  apply,  that  they 
are  not  to  count  upon  a  certainty  of  gaining  ad- 
mission again  into  the  hospital,  as  it  is  not  to  be 
made  a  matter  of  private  convenience  to  young 
men,  to  leave  it  and  return  again  at  pleasure,  if 
others  who  are  willing  to  stay  can  supply  their  place. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  yr.  most  humble  servant, 

"J.  MORGAN." 

We  learn  from  a  letter  of  General  Washington, 
of  the  same  date,  that  the  day  previous,  Lord 
Cornwallis  landed  a  body  of  troops  near  Dobb's 
Ferry,  and  advanced  very  rapidly  to  Fort  Lee.  It 
was  necessary  to  abandon  this  fort :  and  a  large 
quantity  of  military  stores,  their  tents  (a  severe 
loss),  their  baggage,  and  some  artillery,  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

The  letters  of  Dr.  Eustis  are  always  pleasant. 
The  following  is  from  North  Castle,  dated  Novem- 
ber 22 :  — 

"DEAR  SIR,  —  Your  obliging  letter  by  Doctor 
Crosby  has  given  me  great  satisfaction.  Accept 


1776.]  DP.    EUSTIS'S   LETTER.  129 

this  as  a  return  of  my  gratitude.  Had  it  been  my 
good  fortune  to  be  stationed  with  you  at  Hacken- 
sack,  or  elsewhere,  it  would  have  added  to  my  felic- 
ity, but  my  duty  is  delineated  in  Norwalk,  which 
I  esteem  a  very  long  journey  from  camp,  and  my 
friends.  On  this  account,  'tis  not  so  agreeable. 
However,  Quo  Fata  vacant,  was  my  motto  on  entering 
the  service,  and  I  mean  to  abide  by  it.  Wherever 
I  am,  to  hear  frequently  of  the  prosperity  of  your- 
self and  my  friends  will  make  me  happy.  Receive 
my  sincere- wishes  for  your  health  and  happiness, 
and  believe  me  unreservedly  yours, 

"  W.  EUSTIS." 

The  English  army  at  this  time,  is  said  to  have 
been  about  3,000,  the  American  army  from  1,800 
to  2,000.  The  latter  were  compelled  to  retreat 
for  three  weeks,  across  the  level  country  of  New 
Jersey,  and  the  pursuit  was  so  hot  that  the  Ameri- 
can rear  were  often  in  sight  of  the  British  van. 
In  the  mean  time,  the  troops,  dispirited  by  defeat, 
left  in  large  numbers  as  soon  as  their  terms  of 
enlistment  expired,  and  returned  to  their  homes. 
Newark,  New  Brunswick,  Princeton,  Trenton,  suc- 
cessively fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy. 

Dr.  0.  W.  Garnall  writes  from  New  Brunswick, 
on  the  26th  of  November :  - — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  Being  very  unwell  when  I  arrived 
at  Elizabethtown,  and  it  being  a  rainy  day,  I  was 
under  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  stopping  for 
the  space  of  one  day,  by  which  means  Mr.  Lewis, 
with  the  team,  gained  considerable  way.  How- 


130  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHft   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

ever,  as  quick  as  possible,  I  followed  on  toward 
Boundbrook,  reached  there  last  night,  inquired 
everywhere  to  gain  intelligence  of  Mr.  Lewis,  but 
could  hear  no  tidings  of  him.  I  went  immediately 
to  one  of  the  committee  belonging  to  said  place 
and  acquainted  him  with  my  business,  but  he 
assured  me  it  was  not  practicable  to  get  any  room 
in  the  town  for  the  sick.  The  houses  were  all  full, 
except  a  church  and  school-house,  that  I  might 
procure  for  that  purpose. 

"  I  therefore  left  the  place,  went  to  Brunswick, 
and  sought  most  diligently  for  the  hospital  stores  be- 
longing to  the  General  Hospital,  but  have  not  yet 
heard  tidings  of  them;  though,  concerning  the  sick 
of  the  third  Pennsylvania  battalion,  I  have  met 
with  most  of  them,  and  have  given  them  certifi- 
cates of  their  illness,  and  recommended  them  to 
be  discharged,  which  was  approved,  and  signed  by 
General  Mercer.  ' 

"Those  in  health  have  joined  Colonel  Hand's 
battalion.  'What  to  do  now  I  can't  justly  tell,  but 
for  want  of  money  propose  to  go  to  the  place  of 
my  dwelling,  or  to  Philadelphia,  where  I  may  get 
recruited,  —  having  received  no  pay  from  the  army 
this  three  months.  I  conclude,  sir,  your  very 
humble  servant,  0.  W.  GARNALL. 

"P.  S.  Dr.  Lewis  had  a  chest  of  mine,  with 
the  rest  of  the  articles,  marked  in  large  letters  H. 
H.,  which  I  would  beg  you  to  make  mention  of, 
that  it  may  not  be  lost.  I  expect  to  see  you  in  a 
few  days,  though  I  am  very  sick  at  present  with  a 
fever." 


1776.]  APPOINTMENT    OF   SUB-DIRECTORS.  131 

The  next  letter  is  from  Elbridge  Gerry,  dated 
Philadelphia,  November  27.  He  was  at  this  time 
member  of  the  Congress  ;  one  of  the  Committee  of 
Correspondence  of  the  Board  of  War.  It  is  in 
answer  to  a  letter  from  my  father,  and  is  decidedly 
non-committal :  — 

"  SIR,  —  In  answer  to  your  favor  of  the  fifteenth, 
I  am  much  concerned  to  hear  that  medicines  are 
wanted  for  the  army.  This  has  been  the  complaint 
of  the  Northern  Army,  until  of  late  a  full  supply 
has  been  sent  to  them.  Dr.  Hall,  a  member  of 
Congress,  and  of  the  medical  committee,  has  been 
mentioned  to  Dr.  Foster  as  a  proper  gentleman 
to  be  consulted  upon  the  measure,  will  and  un- 
doubtedly take  care  to  remedy  the  difficulty. 

"  With  respect  to  the  sub-directors,  I  think  it  not 
impossible  they  will  be  necessary,  and  that  you 
may  stand  candidate,  when  Congress  thinks  neces- 
sary to  make  an  appointment.  I  think  it  may  be 
convenient  to  have  a  recommendation  from  the 

director,  in  which  the  names  of  five  or  six  gen- 

*  . 

tlemen  who  have  officiated  as  hospital  surgeons, 

should  be  mentioned.  I  have  conferred  with  Dr. 
Foster,  and  he  will  communicate  the  substance 
of  the  interview.  I  remain,  sir,  in  haste  your 
friend  and  humble  servant,"  etc. 

Gerry  is  said  to  have  been  the  very  intimate 
friend  of  Joseph  Warren,  but  he  seems  to  have 
been  only  on  formal  terms  with  my  father  at  this 
period.  Dr.  Foster  was  the  bearer  of  this  letter, 
which  is  directed  to  "Dr.  Warren,  at  Camp,  in 


132  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23- 

Jersey."  At  this  particular  moment  Washington 
was  at  Newark,  anxiously  hoping  for  reinforcer 
ment  frofn  General  Lee,  whom  he  had  earnestly 
and  repeatedly  desired  to  join  him.  But  Lee,  full 
of  self-confidence,  and  preferring  a  separate  com- 
mand, delayed  his  motions ;  possibly  not  unwilling 
to  derive  his  own  aggrandizement  from  any  re- 
verses to  the  Commander-in-chief.  Unfortunately 
for  himself,  he  became  so  much  engrossed  in 
watching  the  supposed  errors  of  his  superior,  that 
he  allowed  himself  to  fall  into  a  rat-trap,  and  was 
taken  prisoner  in  a  manner  more  ludicrous  than 
sublime. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

1777. 
WASHINGTON  DICTATOR. 

Retreat  to  New  Brunswick.  —  Cornelius  Baldwin's  Letter.  —  Dr. 
Warren  at  Hanover.  —  Dr.  Foster's  Letter.  —  General  Hospi- 
tal removed  to  Bethlehem.  —  Removal  of  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Hon- 
orable Acquittal  from  all  Charges.  —  General  Greene's  recommend- 
ation of  Dr.  Warren  for  Sub-directorship.  —  Dr.  Morgan's 
Order.  —  Dr.  Cochran.  —  Washington  Dictator.  —  Bold  Move- 
ment of  Washington.  —  Narrow  Escape  of  the  Surgeons  who 
were  not  warned.  —  Letter  to  General  Washington.  —  Washing- 
ton's Answer.  —  Doctors  Morgan  and  Shippen.  —  Answer  to 
Charge  against  Dr.  Morgan.  —  Queer  Letter  by  Dr.  Eustis.  —  Dr. 
Warren.  —  Misses  Searles. 

TT^ROM  Newark  Washington  was  compelled  to 
continue  his  retreat  to  New  Brunswick,  closely 
pursued  by  the  English  army,  who  entered  Newark 
at  one  end,  just  as  the  American  rear  had  left  the 
other  end. 

Dr.  Thacher  says :  "  We  learn  with  sorrow  that 
our  affairs  in  that  quarter  are  in  a  deplorable  and 
almost  desperate  situation ;  —  our  army  being  re- 
duced to  the  lowest  ebb,  discouraged,  dispirited, 
and  retreating  through  the  Jerseys ;  and  the 
enemy  in  close  pursuit. 

It  had  been  the  advice  of  many  of  the  officers 
to  move  the  army  to  Morristown,  in  order  to  effect 
a  junction  with  the  Northern  Army,  but  Washing- 
ton, hoping  to  make  a  stand  at  Brunswick,  pur- 
sued the  course  we  have  said. 


134  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

Perhaps  this  intended  movement  to  Morristown 
may  have  something  to  do  with  the  next  letter 
from  Cornelius  Baldwin  at  Morristown,  December 
1st:  — 

"  SIR,  —  Dr.  Brown  appears  to  me  to  have  been 
guilty  of  a  willful  mistake  in  informing  you  that 
he  had  stopped  the  wagons  in  consequence  of 
the  information  he  got  from  the  letter  directed 
to  you.  The  wagons  have  not  been  stopped, 
although  he  says  he  saw  them,  and  Carnes  was 
here,  whom  he  did  not  direct  to  stop  them.  I 
can't  learn  that  Carnes  has  done  anything  what- 
ever. He  seems  entirely  stupid  and  incapable  of 
business.  I  have  sent  Mr.  Shaw,  with  all  possible 
speed,  after  the  wagons,  which  have  got,  at  least, 
twenty  miles  from  this.  I  have  desired  Dr.  Lorin 
to  send  back  Dr.  A.  Putnam's  baggage,  and  such 
medicine  as  will  be  wanting.  I  shall  proceed  on  im- 
mediately to  Bethlehem,  and  endeavor  to  procure 
the  best  quarters  possible  for  the  sick  and  stores ; 
for  I  believe  you  have  not  much  reason  to  expect 
anything  from  Dr.  Shippen,  or  his  surgeons. 

"  CORNELIUS  BALDWIN,  Jr." 

This  letter  is  directed  to  Dr.  Warren  at 
Hanover. 

By  the  next  letter,  which  is  from  Dr.  Foster  at 
Mendham,  December  4th,  we  find  the  General 
Hospital  removed  to  Bethlehem :  — 

"DEAR  SIR,  —  The  bearer,  Mr.  Breed,  of  Col- 
onel Hutchinson's  regiment,  has  a  number  of  sick 


1776.]  DR.  MORGAN'S  REMOVAL.  135 

under  his  care.  As  I  know  of  no  other  Eastern 
sick  near  here  that  are  not  moving,  I  should  be 
sorry  to  leave  them  on  this  side  Hudson  River. 
Should  be  glad  if  you  will  send  me  a  copy  of 
General  Washington's  order  relative  to  the  matter. 
Pray  let  me  know,  by  Mr.  Breed,  if  you  have  any 
intelligence  of  the  wagons,  with  medicines,  and 
where  I  shall  be  likely  to  meet  with  the  Director- 
general.  Mrs.  Foster  desires  her  compliments. 
Accept  the  best  wishes  of,  dear  sir,  your  affection- 
ate friend,  etc.  ISAAC  FOSTER." 

It  seems  to  have  been  about  this  period  of 
general  uneasiness,  depression,  and  discontent,  the 
army  retreating  to  the  disgust  of  many  officers, 
soldiers,  and  the  public  generally ;  that  the  storm 
began  to  brew  against  Dr.  Morgan,  which  ter- 
minated in  his  hasty  removal  by  Congress,  early 
in  1777. 

He  had  labored  very  hard  to  establish  a  system- 
atic method  of  conducting  the  medical  depart- 
ment ;  but  the  sick  and  wounded  suffered  from 
the  want  of  medicines  and  stores,  which  he  was 
unable  to  provide.  The  foregoing  letters  show 
that  the  wagons  went  astray,  and  were  not  forth- 
coming. The  supply  was  also  insufficient,  as  indi- 
cated in  the  letter  referred  to  by  Mr.  Gerry. 

After  Mr.  Morgan's  removal  he  demanded  an 
investigation  into  the  charges  against  him,  and 
this  resulted  in  an  honorable  acquittal  upon  all 
points. 

A  new  arrangement  of  the  Hospital  Department 


136  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

was  contemplated,  and  it  was  necessary  for  sur- 
geons, who  wished  to  remain  in  the  service,  to 
make  fresh  application.  A  gathering  of  medical 
officers  appears  to  have  taken  place  in  Philadel- 
phia, where  Congress  was  in  session. 

My  father's  application  was  strongly  supported 
by  General  Greene,  who,  in  a  letter  dated  Cor- 
ryell's  Ferry,  Delaware,  December  16th,  recom- 
mends him  for  the  appointment  of  Sub-direc- 
tor :  — 

"  SIR,  —  I  take  the  liberty  to  recommend  Dr. 
Warren  to  the  Congress  as  a  very  suitable  person 
to  receive  the  appointment  of  Sub-director,  which 
I  am  informed  they  are  about  to  create  a  number 
of.  Dr.  Warren  has  given  great  satisfaction  where 
he  has  had  the  direction  of  business.  He  is  a 
young  gentleman  of  ability,  humanity,  and  great 
application  to  business. 

"  I  feel  a  degree  of  happiness  that  the  Congress 
are  going  to  put  the  hospital  upon  a  better  estab- 
lishment ;  for  the  sick,  this  campaign,  have  suffered 
beyond  description,  and  shocking  to  humanity. 
For  my  own  part,  I  have  never  felt  any  distress 
equal  to  what  the  sufferings  of  the  sick  have  occa- 
sioned, and  am  confident  that  nothing  will  injure 
the  recruiting  service  so  much  as  the  dissatisfaction 
arising  upon  that  head." 

Directed  to  Hon.  John  Hancock,  President  of 
the  Continental  Congress  at  Philadelphia. 

Dr.  Warren  was  not  successful  in  his  application. 
Congress  probably  had  more  pegs  than  holes  to 
put  them  into. 


1776.]  ORDER    FROM   DR.  MORGAN.  137 

It  was  momentarily  expected  that  the  British 
would  cross  the  Delaware,  and  take  possession  of 
Philadelphia,  and  on  the  twelfth  of  December 
Congress  adjourned  to  Baltimore. 

I  find  the  following  order  from  Dr.  Morgan, 
written  upon  this  day  :  — 

"PHILADELPHIA,  December  12th,  1776.  —  Dr.  War- 
ren is  desired  to  repair  to  Bethlehem,  or  Newtown, 
in  Buck's  County,  taking  with  him  the  several 
mates  and  officers  of  the  General  Hospital  now  in 
this  city.  The  hospital  stores  now  sent  up  to  be 
carried  to  some  convenient  farm  or  house,  a  mile 
or  two  from  hence,  nearer  Bethlehem,  to  be  out 
of  the  enemy's  route  towards  Philadelphia,  in  case 
the  enemy  comes  that  way. .  He  will  there,  in  con- 
junction and  consultation  with  Dr.  Cochran,  devise 
means  for  arranging  matters  in  case  of  an  action 
and  for  forming  a  flying  hospital. 

"  Dr.  Morgan  will  attend  in  person,  so  soon  as 
some  other  stores  and  refreshments  are  provided, 
and  can  be  sent  on,  which  he  expects  will  be  in 
two  or  three  days.  Dr.  Morgan  wishes  him  a 
good  journey.  JOHN  MORGAN." 

"  DR.  JN.  WARREN,  Esq.,  in  the  Gen.  Hospital." 

The  different  style  of  this  letter,  written  in 
the  third  person,  from  the  friendly  tone  of  the 
former  ones,  may  be  noticed.  It  may  be  a,c- 
counted  for  either  by  the  haste  of  removal  which 
the  departure  of  Congress  and  the  contemplated 
movements  of  Congress  rendered  necessary ;  or 


138  LIFE    OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

by  the  peculiar  position  of  Dr.  Morgan  himself  at 
this  present  time. 

Dr.  Cochran  was  a  surgeon  of  eminence  from 
New  Jersey,  who  offered  his  medical  services  as 
volunteer  to  the  Hospital  Department  about  this 
time.  He  attracted  the  notice  of  Washington, 
was  strongly  recommended  by  him  to  Congress, 
who  appointed  him  Surgeon-general  in  the  Mid- 
dle Department,  April  10,  1777,  and  subsequently, 
in  1781,  Director-general  of  the  hospitals  of  the 
United  States. 

When  the  above  order  was  given,  Washington 
was  in  constant  expectation  of  the  enemy's  advance 
upon  Philadelphia.  Large  numbers  had  accepted 
the  offers  of  Lord  Howe  and  General  Howe,  who 
had  issued  a  proclamation  of  pardon  to  those  who 
would  accept  it  within  sixty  days.  Washington 
wrote  a  very  earnest  letter  to  Congress,  stating  the 
extreme  destitution  of  the  army,  the  entire  disso- 
lution of  which  he  feared.  He  alluded  very  plainly 
to  their  dilatory  proceedings,  and  urged  their 
taking  strong  measures  to  reenlist  those  in  service, 
and  to  obtain  new  recruits. 

Thus  strongly  urged,  Congress  passed  a  resolu- 
tion empowering  Washington  to  raise  sixteen 
battalions,  in  addition  to  eighty-eight  already 
voted,  and  they  authorized  him,  "  to  order  and 
direct  all  things  relating  to  the  department,  and 
to  the  operations  of  war."  This  was  to  continue 
six  months,  and  it  vested  in  him,  for  the  time,  the 
authority  of  Military  Dictator. 

By  these  measures  they  were  enabled  to  retain, 
for  the  present,  more  than  half  the  old  soldiers, 


1776.]  BOLD    MOVEMENT    OF   WASHINGTON.  139 

and  to  obtain  a  large  number  of  new  recruits,  part 
of  whom  enlisted  for  the  war.  Washington  now 
mustered  between  five  and  six  thousand  men,  and 
he  was  meditating  a  bold  stroke,  for  which  prepa- 
rations were  made  with  great  secrecy.  The  enemy 
were  in  full  possession  of  the  Jerseys.  About 
fifteen  hundred  Hessians  and  a  troop  of  British 
light-horse,  were  stationed  at  Trenton,  and  smaller 
detachments  at  Bordentown,  Burlington,  Black 
Horse,  and  Mount  Holly. 

Christmas  night  was  fixed  upon  for  the  attack 
upon  the  Hessian  posts,  because  it  was  a  time 
of  great  festivity  and  license  in  their  camp,  when 
it  was  probable  most  of  the  army  would  be  in- 
toxicated, and  all  in  a  state  of  confusion  and  dis- 
order. 

The  attack  was  to  be  made  in  three  divisions. 
General  Cadwallader  was  to  cross  the  Delaware  at 
Bristol,  and  march  to  Burlington.  General  Ewing 
to  cross  a  little  below  Trenton,  to  intercept  the 
retreat  of  the  enemy,  while  Washington,  with 
twelve  hundred  men,  was  to  cross  nine  miles  above 
Trenton  to  make  the  principal  attack. 

The  two  former  generals  were  unable  to  pass 
on  account  of  the  floating  ice.  Washington  alone 
was  successful.  He  was  with  one  division  led  by 
General  Greene,  while  another  division  was  led  by 
General  Sullivan,  so  as  to  attack  at  two  points 
simultaneously.  The  Hessians,  taken  by  surprise, 
retreated,  and  finding  themselves  hemmed  in  on 
all  sides,  surrendered  as  prisoners  of  war.  Nearly 
one  thousand  prisoners  were  taken,  six  brass  can- 
non, a  thousand  stand  of  arms,  and  considerable 


140  LIFE    OP   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

ammunition.  He  recrossed  the  Delaware  in  the 
night,  with  all  his  prisoners,  captured  artillery, 
etc. 

This  victory  was  received  with  great  exultation, 
but  the  situation  of  the. army  was  still  critical. 
The  capture  of  Philadelphia  was  still  threatened, 
when  a  bold  expedient  suggested  itself  to  the 
mind  of  the  Commander-in-chief.  Having  made 
ample  preparation,  he  ordered  a  number  of  camp 
fires  to  be  lighted  at  night,  and  leaving  a  few  men 
to  take  care  of  them,  by  a  rapid  and  circuitous 
march,  he  came  upon  three  regiments  who  were 
left  at  Princeton,  at  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning 
of  the  third  of  January,  routed  them,  and  drove 
them  from  their  redoubts. 

Great  was  the  surprise  of  Lord  Cornwallis  in  the 
morning,  when  he  expected  to  find  his  enemy  at 
the  lighted  camp  fires  in  Trenton,  to  be  roused  by 
firing  from  the  same  army  twelve  miles  in  his  rear. 
But  equally  great  and  unpleasant  was  the  surprise 
of  Dr.  Warren  and  the  other  surgeons,  who  had 
not  been  notified  of  the  intended  movement. 
Mounting  their  horses  they  gallopped  off  as  fast  as 
they  could,  without  any  knowledge  of  the  road 
they  should  pursue,  but  after  a  time  they  fortu- 
nately received  information,  and  were  enabled  to 
reach  Princeton  in  season  to  take  care  of  the 
wounded.  Their  escape,  however,  was  a  very 
narrow  one. 

A  similar  event  is  mentioned  in  a  preceding 
letter,  by  Dr.  Eustis.  In  the  evacuation  of  New 
York,  the  medical  corps  was  left  behind  and 


1777.J  LETTER   TO   WASHINGTON.  141 

escaped,  as  he  says,  only  through  the  bad  firing  of 
the  Hessians. 

These  two  events,  displaying  so  much  ability 
and  military  skill,  changed  the  face  of  affairs,  and 
closed  the  campaign  of  1776  in  joyful  confidence.  , 

Early  in  1777  Dr.  Morgan  was  removed  from 
his  office  by  Congress,  and  Dr.  Shippen  appointed 
in  his  place. 

In  consequence  of  this  change,  some  confusion 
naturally  took  place,  and  my  father  found  himself 
performing  the  duties  of  surgeon  in  the  General 
Hospital  without  legitimate  authority.  He  there- 
fore wrote  to  General  Washington  on  the  tenth 
of  February,  from  Philadelphia :  — 

"SiR, —  By  the  suspension  of  Dr.  Morgan  from 
the  directorship  of  the  Eastern  Department,  the 
commission  which  I  formerly  held  in  the  General 
Hospital  is  vacated.  I  am  now  only  employed 
in  this  city  by  Dr.  Shippen,  without  any  posi- 
tive assurance  of  an  appointment  upon  the  new 
establishment. 

"  As  by  resolve  of  the  honorable  Continental 
Congress  your  Excellency  has  the  sole  power  of 
regulating  the  medical  and  chirurgical  department 
in  the  army,  and  of  appointing  all  officers  in  it,  I 
beg  your  Excellency  to  excuse  the  trouble  I  give 
you  by  this  application,  requesting  to  be  informed, 
whether  in  the  proposed  arrangements  I  have 
been  considered  ? 

"  I  would  not  have  troubled  your  Excellency 
with  this  request,  but  as  I  have  very  pressing  solici- 


142  LIFE   OP  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  23. 

citations  to  engage  in  another  department,  and  it 
is  necessary  that  I  should  form  a  determination  in 
the  course  of  a  few  days. 

"  Having  served  as  a  senior  surgeon  in  the 
General  Hospital  ever  since  the  commencement  of 
the  war,  I  must,  consequently,  be  considered  ex- 
perienced in  the  business  of  hospitals,  especially  as 
I  have,  both  at  Long  Island  and  Hackensack,  had 
the  sole  direction  of  the  hospitals  there  established. 

"  As  to  diligence  and  assiduity,  those  who  have 
been  more  immediately  concerned  in  the  disposi- 
tion of  those  hospitals  will  judge  whether  they 
may  be  applied  to  my  conduct  or  not. 

"  Whilst  these  matters  were  supposed  to  rest 
with  Congress,  General  .Greene  was  so  kind  as  to 
propose  me  an  appointment  to  some  directorship, 
and  by  the  members  of  Congress  I  was  encouraged 
to  expect  it.  If  I  should  have  the  honor  of  being 
appointed  to  any  kind  of  directorship,  one  in  New 
England,  (if  agreeable)  at  Rhode  Island,  would 
please  me  most,  as  I  could  there  conveniently 
correspond  with  the  persons  in  Boston  who  have 
the  charge  of  my  late  brother's  affairs ;  whereas,  at 
present,  it  is  attended  with  great  difficulty  and 
uncertainty.  If  your  Excellency  will  please  to  in- 
form me  what  I  may  expect,  as  soon  as  an  oppor- 
tunity offers,  a  letter  directed  to  me  to  be  left  at 
General  Gates'  will  greatly  oblige  me. 

"  I  am,  with  the  greatest  respect,  your  Excel- 
lency's most  humble,  most  obedient  servant." 

The  reply  of  General  Washington  is  dated  from 
headquarters  at  Morristown,  February  25th  :  — 


1777.]  ANSWER.  143 

"  SIR, —  I  have  yours  of  the  eighteenth  instant. 
Your  continuing  to  act  in  the  hospital,  upon  the 
uncertainty  of  being  provided  for,  under  the  new 
arrangement,  is  very  commendable ;  but  I  can 
assure  you  it  was  ever  my  intention  to  take 
particular  care  that  those  who  had  filled  their  old 
stations  with  reputation  should  not  be  degraded 
in  the  new  appointments.  The  plan  for  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  General  Hospital  is  now  before 
Congress,  and  whenever  I  receive  their  appro- 
bation the  officers  will  be  appointed.  I  cannot 
promise  you  that  you  will  be  fixed  at  Rhode  Island, 
but  I  dare  say,  in  the  settlement  of  the  surgeons 
and  physicians,  who  are  to  superintend  the  different 
departments,  the  private  conveniences  of  gentle- 
men will  be  attended  to,  if  thereby  the  public  will 
not  be  injured. 

"  I  am,  sir,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

"  G.  WASHINGTON." 

Both  Dr.  Morgan  and  Dr.  Shippen,  had  been 
instrumental  in  getting  up  a  medical  institu- 
tion in  Philadelphia,  and  were  colleagues  there. 
Dr.  Shippen  was  a  personal  friend  of  General 
Washington,  but  from  the  preceding  letters  it  may 
be  gathered  that  Dr.  Morgan's  recommendation 
would  not  have  much  weight  with  the  former,  and 
that  he  might  not  be  favorably  inclined,  ceteris 
paribus,  to  reappoint  Dr.  Morgan's  friends. 

The  contemplated  appointment  of  sub-directors 
does  not  appear  to  have  been  made.  There  seems 
to  have  been  an  expectation  on  the  part  of  Dr. 


144  LIFE   OP   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

Warren's  medical  friends  that  he  would  be  appoint- 
ed to  the  directorship  of  the  Northern  Department, 
but  Dr.  Shippen  being  appointed  sole  Director- 
general,  negatived  this  prospect.  It  was,  however, 
a  very  fortunate  thing  for  my  father  that  he  was 
not  appointed  to  any  position,  however  elevated 
or  lucrative,  that  would  have  taken  him  to  a  distance 
from  Boston. 

It  is  very  probable  that  the  department  spoken 
of  in  his  letter  to  Washington,  to  which  he  says 
he  had  pressing  solicitations,  may  have  been  the 
superintendence  of  a  military  hospital  in  Boston, 
to  be  founded  under  the  auspices  of  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  At  this  time,  great  military  prepa- 
rations were  making  in  Massachusetts;  fortifica- 
tions and  troops  were  demanded  by  the  danger  of 
invasion,  in  addition  to  levies  raised  to  send  off  to 
the  general  army,  to  Canada,  or  to  other  posts  of 
danger.  A  hospital  was,  therefore,  needed,  and 
one  was  established  near  the  location  of  the  pres- 
ent Massachusetts  General  Hospital. 

By  the  first  of  July,  1777,  my  father  was  estab- 
lished as  senior  surgeon  of  the  General  Hospital  in 
Boston.  It  was  a  fortunate  period  for  him.  One 
of  those  golden  opportunities  in  a  man's  life,  which, 
if  neglected,  never  return.  The  death  of  his 
brother  had  created  a  wide  chasm  in  the  profession. 
A  strong  interest  and  sympathy  was  felt  towards  so 
near  a  relative,  whose  patriotic  zeal,  as  well  as  his 
professional  talents  and  industry,  had  been  so 
amply  demonstrated.  Dr.  Jeffries  had  accepted 
the  service  of  the  English  commander,  and  left 


1777.J  MEDICAL   APPOINTMENTS.  145 

Boston  with  him.  Dr.  Lloyd  was  considered  in  the 
Tory  interest.  The  field  was  open  for  a  youthful 
aspirant,  already  possessed  of  sufficient  experience 
and  ample  medical  acquirements. 

The  following  letter  from  Dr.  Cutting,  as  well 
as  the  succeeding  one  from  Dr.  Cragie,  refer  to 
the  subject  of  military  appointments.  Dr.  Cut- 
ting's is  from  Philadelphia,  April  29th  :  — 

"  Though  I  have  wrote  you  repeatedly  since  I 
had  the  pleasure  of  a  line  from  you  at  Fish  Kill, 
yet  I  accuse  myself  for  not  having  again  troubled 
you  before  this  time,  as  from  several  circumstances 
you  had  a  right  to  expect  it. 

"The  hospital  arrangement  has  taken  place 
since  my  last,  and  would  afford  a  volume  of  sub- 
jects, physical,  sentimental,  and  political.  I  am 
amazed  at  nothing  that  occurs  in  these  strange 
and  unaccountable  times ;  otherwise,  I  should  ex- 
press my  astonishment  that  you  were  not  among 
the  Congressional  appointments  therein  contained. 

"  However,  I  dare  say,  you  feel  like  yourself, 
upon  the  occasion.  I  expected  to  have  felicitated 
you  upon  your  promotion  to  a  conspicuous  sta- 
tion in  the  General  Hospital,  in  one  department 
or  the  other ;  but  since  it  is  not  permitted,  give 
me  leave  to  do  it  on  your  promotion  to  the  sit- 
uation of  a  respectable  private  gentleman  in  civil 
life.  And,  believe  me,  I  almost  envy  you  the 
change.  Have  you  attentively  read  over  the  pub- 
lished system  of  Congress,  respecting  military  hos- 
pitals ?  If  you  have,  I  make  no  comments  upon 
10 


146  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

the  perfection  of  the  plan,  or  the  illustrious  char- 
acters who  are  to  support  it,  for  both  are  beyond 
the  reach  of  panegyric,  at  least  of  mine.  But 
seriously,  I  should  be  obliged  for  your  remarks 
upon  either,'or  any  part  of  this  immaculate  jumble. 

"  I  am  called  off  upon  pressing  business ;  excuse 
me'  a  moment,  and  I  will  be  with  you  again. 

"  A  letter  from  the  directors,  at  camp,  that 
would  not  brook  delay.  Are  you  determined 
whether  a  senior  surgeon's,  or  a  private  practition- 
er's birth,  will  be  most  eligible  for  you  to  accept, 
this  campaign?  I  am  grieved  to  think  you  have 
no  alternative,  but  must  choose  one  or  the  other. 
But  I  had  almost  forgot  the  assistant  deputy's  office, 
with  a  salary  of  three  dollars  a  day. 

"  Do  you  perceive  the  meaning  of  Congress  in 
this  particular  appointment?  For  my  part,  'tis 
beyond  my  comprehension,  quite.  I  am  sick  of 
the  topic.  I  cannot  find  the  newspaper  which  I 
promised,  high  nor  low,  but  shall  renew  my  at- 
tention before  the  post  leaves  town,  and,  if  pos- 
sible, send  it  to  you.  Mr.  Miller  has  made  the 
most  solicitous  and  grateful  inquiries  concerning 
you,  and  every  connection  of  the  family  speak  of 
you,  agreeable  to  your  real  deserts. 

"  The  young  ladies  of  your  acquaintance,  partic- 
ularly the  Miss  Lakins  and  Miss  Bradford,  Miss 
Pole  and  Miss  Fisher,  request  a  most  particular 
remembrance  to  you.  Some  of  them  have  been 
very  sick  but  are  almost  recovered,  excepting 
Miss  Betsey  Bradford,  and  the  youngest  of  the 
Miss  Lakins,  who  are  now  very  unwell.  Dr.  Bin- 


1777.]         DR.    CRAGIE    ON    MILITARY    APPOINTMENTS.         147 

ney  engrosses  Miss  Waldron  so  much  that  I  very 
seldom  have  the  happiness  to  see  her,  but  I  be- 
lieve she  is  well. 

"  Dr.  Young's  family  send  their  best  regards 
to  you.  Almost  all  our  set  of  male  acquaintances 
in  Philadelphia  are  at  camp.  We  hear  by  express 
that  Carleton  has  crossed  the  Lakes.  The  cam- 
paign must  soon  open.  I  will  send  you  the  "  Crisis/' 
Number  101.  Tis  much  read  and  talked  of.  Do, 
my  dear  Jack,  prevent  me  from  the  necessity  of 
requesting  a  line  from  you,  to  yours  sincerely, 

«  J.  B.  CUTTING." 

Dr.  Cragie's  letter  is  written  from  Mount  Inde- 
pendence, June  17th  :  — 

"  DEAR  WARREN,  —  I  cannot  express  how  much 
I  am  obliged  to  you  for  your  favors  by  Dr.  Town- 
send.  Such  instances  of  your  lasting  friendship, 
afford  me  the  most  pleasing  satisfaction. 

"  I  had  the  pleasure  of  writing  you  sometime 
since,  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  yours  from 
Philadelphia,  but  as  I  never  heard  of  your  receiv- 
ing it,  I  suspect  it  must  have  miscarried.  I  am 
much  chagrined  at  being  disappointed  of  your 
society  this  summer,  as  1  was  much  pleased  with 
the  prospect.  The  most  pleasing  are  generally 
the  most  illusive. 

k'I  think  you  have  been  treated  with  insufferable 
neglect,  in  not  having  an  appointment  suitable  to 
your  deserts,  from  Congress.  I  know  well  what 
your  sentiments  must  be  upon  this  occasion,  and 
nothing  but  your  invincible  attachment  to  the  ser- 


148  LIFE    OP   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

vice  can  induce  you  to  continue  in  it  after  such 
glaring  neglect.  It  is  an  ungrateful  world,  War- 
ren, and  the  more  a  man  experiences  it,  the  more 
he  will  see  its  baseness.  Retirement,  let  it  come 
when  it  may,  cannot  but  be  pleasing,  after  the  ex- 
periments you  have  doubtless  made  in  public  life. 
Whenever  you  shall  embrace  it,  may  it  prove  as 
happy  to  yourself,  as,  in  a  public  character,  you 
have  been  serviceable  to  others  ! 

"I  shall  always  be  happy  whenever  I  am  favored 
with  your  letters,  and  doubly  so  when  they  inform 
me  of  your  prosperity.  From  the  general  inatten- 
tion of  this  department,  I  cannot  but  imagine  the 
State  or  States  who  are  to  supply  the  garrison 
with  troops,  etc.,  must  be  very  confident  that  there 
will  be  no  attack  made  this  summer.  It 's  disagree- 
able to  me  to  write  my  opinion  in  this  manner,  as 
it  seems  out  of  my  line,  but  the  above  I  may 
venture  in  confidence. 

"I  wrote  our  friend  Eustis  some  time  since 
(about  fourteen  days).  I  wish  he  would  acquaint 
me  if  he  received  it.  It  was  by  post. 

"  As  I  may  do  myself  the  pleasure  of  writing 
now  and  then,  I  would  be  glad  to  know  your  resi- 
dence. 

"  Any  news,  your  sentiments,  anything  from 
you,  will  be  agreeable.  I  am,  dear  Warren,  most 
affectionately  yours,  AND.  C .". 

"  P.  S.  Dr.  Potts  is  in  Albany,  or  on  his  way 
to  this  post.  Drs.  Tillotson  and  Townsend  pre- 
sent you  with  their  compliments  and  best  wishes. 
June  24th,  I  wrote  the  above." 


1777.]  ANSWER   TO    DR.   MORGAN.  149 

By  the  following  letter,  written  by  my  father 
from  Boston,  it  appears  that  he  had  left  the  army 
and  returned  to  Boston,  as  early  as  April.  It  is 
directed  to  Dr.  Morgan  :  — 

"BOSTON,  April  12,  1777. 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  received  your  letter  requesting 
the  particulars  of  some  conversation  which  I  had 
with  Colonel  (then  Captain)  Stone,  at  Hack  en- 
sack,  relative  to  a  number  of  soldiers  belonging  to 
Colonel  Smallwood's  regiment,  quartered  in  Mr. 
Zabriski's  barn. 

"  If  I  recollect  rightly,  they  were  ordered  out,  in 
pursuance  of  a  resolve  of  the  Continental  Congress, 
or  a  general  order,  forbidding  any  regimental  sick 
to  be  quartered  in  the  neighborhood  of  a  General 
Hospital. 

"Upon  his  mentioning  the  orders,  which  he 
considered  as  a  hardship,  I  told  him  I  imagined 
this  to  be  the  case.  He  informed  me  that  some 
of  them  were  very  ill,  and  he  knew  not  why  they 
might  not  be  removed  into  the  Court-house,  to 
which  they  were  so  near.  I  answered  him  that 
that  house  was  appropriated  to  the  reception  of 
the  wounded  only,  as  it  was  apprehended  that  if 
.the  sick  should  be  admitted  into  the  same  house 
with  the  wounded,  the  health  of  the  latter  would 
be  essentially  affected,  especially  as  the  prevailing 
diseases  of  the  season  were  of  the  putrid  kind. 

"  Orders  having  been  given  for  the  building  an 
oven,  in  a  house  contiguous  to  the  barn,  for  the 
use  of  the  General  Hospital ;  it  was  represented  to 


150  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

the  Colonel  as  absolutely  necessary  that  the  barn 
should  be  immediately  evacuated,  in  order  to  re- 
ceive a  quantity  of  stores  which  were  at  that  time 
in  said  house,  and  which  it  was  necessary  to  receive 
before  the  masons  could  begin  their  work.  In 
consequence  of  which,  they  were  removed  in  the 
course  of  a  few  days. 
-"  I  am  sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

"  JOHN  WARREN." 

It  appears  evident  from  this  letter  that  one 
of  the  charges  against  Dr.  Morgan,  was  that  of 
refusing  to  admit  the  regimental  sick,  or  rather 
the  patients  of  regimental  surgeons,  into  the  Gen- 
eral Hospitals,  the  reasons  for  which  are  given  in 
the  above  letter,  as  well  as  in  a  preceding  one 
from  my  father. 

Dr.  Eustis  writes  June  30th :  — 

"  Dr.  Eustis  presents  his  compliments  to  Dr. 
Warren,  Dr.  Adams,  Mr.  Games,  Aunt  Elenworth, 
Miss  Joanna,  Miss  Scollay,  Mr.  Captain  Games' 
lady,  and  in  short  to  all  his  friends ;  wishes  them 
to  know  he  is  well,  lives  tolerably  happy  in 
Danbury ;  desires,  as  the  regulars  are  leaving 
Jersey,  all  the  ladies  in  Boston  may  be  .panic 
struck  with  the  idea  of  their  being  honored  by  a. 

visit,  and  that  all  extortioners,  backbiters, , 

, ,  with  all  who  are  given  to  swearing, 

lying,  stealing,  detraction,  toryism,  etc.,  etc.,  etc., 
may  become  reformed  within  ten  days  from  the 
date  hereof;  requesting  finally,  that  this  elegant 
billet  may  be  instantly  burnt  by  the  person  now 


1777.]  NOTE   TO   MISSES    SEARLS.  151 

reading,  who  will  else,  or  on  his  failure  of  so  doing, 
be  deemed  unworthy  the  confidence  of  all  good 

men  and  Christians,  as  it  is  the  first  and burn 

it  shall  be  the  last  request  he  will  ever  make." 

HEADQUARTERS,  DANBURY,  June  30,  1777. 

"  DEAR  JACK,  —  If  you  will  use  your  endeavor 
that  Mr.  Vinal  and  my  brother  come  on  immedi- 
ately and  give  them  your  assistance,  if  necessary, 
in  any  way,  you  will  oblige  your  already  humble 
servant,  W.  EUSTIS." 

"  This  is  Captain  Woolsey,  a  gentleman  of  my 
acquaintance,  and,  of  course,  a  man  of  merit." 

The  following  polite  billet,  written  about  this 
time,  may  aiford  matter  for  mysterious  conjec- 
ture :  — 

"Dr.  Warren  presents  his  compliments  to  Miss 
Betsey  and  Polly  Searls,  hopes  they  are  well, 
and  informs  Miss  Polly  that  he  is  extremely  cha- 
grined at  his  disappointment  last  evening,  his 
good  friend  the  doctor  having,  by  his  vigilance  and 
caution,  precluded  the  possibility  of  his  making  the 
intended  discoveries.  He  had  flattered  himself 
with  the  expectation  of  the  pleasure  •  of  waiting 
upon  the  ladies  with  some  interesting  intelligence 
this  morning.  He,  however,  still  has  that  pleas- 
ure in  idea,  and  hopes  very  shortly  to  enjoy  the 
happiness  of  a  few  golden  moments  in  their  most 
agreeable  and  edifying  company." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

1777. 

EVENTS  OF  THE  WAR. 

Washington  and  Howe  facing  each  other.  —  Ticonderoga  menaced.  — 
Letter  from  T.  J.  Games.  —  Engagement,  June  24.  —  Dissensions 
at  Ticonderoga.  —  Gates  and  Schuyler.  —  Capture  of  Mt.  Defiance. 

—  Letter  from  Major   Giles.  —  General   St.  Clair.  —  Miss  A — y 
Col — ns.  —  Letter    from    Dr.    Samuel    Adams.  —  Death   of    Dr. 
Adams,  January,  1778.  —  Colonel  Mifflin's  family.  —  Mrs.  Mifflin. 

—  Miss  Collins. —  Surrender  of  Burgoyne,  October  17. 

A  T  this  time  the  two  points  of  main  interest  in 
the  country  were  New.  Jersey,  where  Gene- 
ral Washington  and  Sir  William  Howe  continued 
to  face  each  other,  the  latter  manoeuvering,  if 
possible,  to  bring  on  a  general  engagement,  which 
the  former  with  great  caution  and  skill  avoided ; 
and  Ticonderoga  in  the  North,  which  was  menaced 
by  Cornwallis. 

A  letter  from  T.  J.  Games,  July  1,  refers  to  an 
engagement,  on  or  about  the  24th  of  June,  be- 
tween Howe's  army  and  Lord  Sterling's  divis- 
ion, which  was  strongly  posted  on  the  road  to . 
Amboy.  Washington's  headquarters,  at  this  time, 
were  at  Middle  Brook,  from  which  this  letter  was 
written.  It  may  be  observed  that  this  division 
was  dislodged  by  the  enemy,  but  not  until  it  had 
made  sufficient  resistance  to  defeat  the  plans  of  the 
English  general,  and,  finding  it  useless  to  remain 
longer  in  his  present  position,  he  evacuated  New 


1777.]  SKIRMISH   NEAR   AMBOY.  153 

Jersey,  leaving  Washington  greatly  in  doubt  as  to 
where  he  would  next  appear. 

"  DR.  WARREN,  —  I  had  not  time  to  write  to  you 
last  Sunday  by  post,  but  hope  you  have  received 
mine  of  last  Saturday  week. 

"  I  have  nothing  more  to  write  you  at  this  time 
than  I  wrote  to  my  father  last  Sunday.  This  is 
by  Captain  Randall,  who  is  exhanged  from  his  con- 
finement and  is  bound  to  Boston.  He  can  inform 
you  better  of  the  state  of  the  enemy,  than  I  can 
at  present.  I  mentioned  in  my  father's  letter  that 
Captain  Eustis  had  lost  two  field-pieces,  which  was 
a  mistake.  He  lost  three,  and  eight  or  nine  men 
killed  and  wounded. 

"  It  was  not  his  fault  that  the  field-pieces  were 
lost.  It  was  the  fault  of  some  commanding  officer 
not  giving  him  a  covering  party,  to  support  him. 
I  have  not  -heard  how  many  we  have  lost  yet,  but 
I  believe  it  is  not  more  than  I  wrote  my  father. 
Our  troops  have  drove  the  enemy  into  Amboy, 
and  last  evening  we  had  intelligence  that  the 
enemy  was  evacuating  Amboy,  and  our  troops 
were  within  three  miles  of  that  place.  I  have 
nothing  more  to  write  at  this  time,  only  to  beg 
you  to  write  to  me  often.  I  am  your  sincere 
friend,  T.  J.  CARNES. 

"  P.  S.  I  have  this  moment  heard  that  the  en- 
emy has  left  Amboy,  and  that  our  troops  are  in 
possession  of  it.  I  do  not  assert  this  as  a  fact,  but 
believe  it  is  true.  I  hope  by  next  Saturday's  post 
that  I  shall  be  able  to  give  you  a  more  particular 


154  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

account,  and  which  -way  they  are  bound.  Please 
to  give  my  compliments  to  Doctor  Eustis  and  all 
inquiring  friends." 

At  Ticonderoga,  it  is  well  known  the  American 
camp  were  not  so  fortunate.  Some  dissensions 
had  arisen  between  General  Gates  and  Schuyler 
as  to  superiority  of  command.  Whether  it  was 
from  this  cause,  or  some  other,  the  fortifications, 
which  had  been  greatly  extended,  had  not  re- 
ceived by  any  means  a  sufficient  number  of  troops 
to  guard  them  properly. 

A  lofty  eminence,  called  Mt.  Defiance,  which 
commanded  the  fort,  had  been  supposed  by  the 
Americans  to  be  inaccessible  to  the  troops  with 
cannon.  The  English,  by  an  enterprising  move- 
ment, had  taken  possession  of  it.  General  St. 
Clair,  who  had  been  left  in  command,  had  to  bear 
the  first  popular  outburst,  which  always  attends  a 
defeat,  and  falls  upon  all  parties  concerned,  right 
or  wrong. 

A  letter  from  Major  A.  Giles,  from  "Head- 
quarters, Moses  Creek,  five  miles  below  Fort 
Edward,"  written  July  28th,  gives  an  account  of 
this  affair,  and  completely  exonerates  St.  Clair 
from  all  blame  :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  was  much  disappointed  in  not 
finding  you  here,  as  I  had  promised  myself  much 
happiness  in  your  company.  I  am  surprised  to 
see  there  are  so  many  slurs  thrown  out  against 
General  St.  Clair  for  doing  his  duty. 

"It  does  not  only  injure  his  character,  but  it 


1777.]  MAJOR   GILES'    LETTERS.  155 

hurts  the  cause.  The  General  can  justify  his 
conduct,  *I  am  very  confident.  He  has  taken  no 
step  but  he  has  given  a  reason  why  he  did  so.  I 
am  sorry  to  see  that  our  countrymen  are  so  apt  to 
condemn  a  gentleman  without  cause.  Let  them 
read  the  following  sentence  taken  from  the  prin- 
ciples of  penal  law :  i  When  wise  and  good  men 
differ  upon  points  of  great  constitutional  import- 
ance, it  is  the  duty  of  their  humble  fellow-citizens 
to  wait  the  result  of  that  dispassionate  difference, 
with  a  silent  prayer,  Ne  quid  detrimenti  capiat 
respubKca* 

"  They  blame  the  General,  and  for  what  ?  Be- 
cause he  did  not  maintain  an  extensive  set  of 
lines  without  men.  The  total  amount  of  our  gar- 
rison consisted  of  not  more  than  two  thousand 
five  hundred  troops,  continental  and  militia,  a  third 
of  them  but  boys,  and  without  bayonets  A  strong 
army,  indeed ! 

"  This  you  may  depend  upon  to  be  a  fact.  I 
saw  the  return  myself.  Many  of  them  were 
without  arms,  also.  Last  fall,  there  were  nine 
thousand  continental  troops  there,  and  they  were 
deemed  insufficient  then.  The  lines,'  this  year, 
are  much  more  extensive,  and  require  more  men 
to  maintain  them. 

"  It  is  cruel  that  so  worthy  a  man  should  be  so 
censured  without  just  cause.  The  country  are 
indebted  to  him  for  the  army  we  have  in  this 
department.  Had  not  his  wisdom  dictated  a  re- 
treat they  would,  no  doubt,  have  all  been  taken. 
I  am  very  sorry  to  say  it,  but  the  more  a  man 
does  the  less  he  is  thought  of. 


156  LIFE   OP   DK.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

"  He  despises  all  they  can  say  of  him.  He  can 
make  it  appear  to  his  superiors  that  he  "has  done 
right.  I  have  the  honor  of  being  an  aid-de-camp 
to  this  much  injured  gentleman. 

"  I  shall  be  happy  to  hear  from  you,  by  return 
of  post.  Be  good  enough  to  let  me  know  if  there 
is  any  deep  blue,  scarlet,  white,  or  buff  cloth,  to  be 
had  with  yon.  I  am  sorry  to  give  you  so  much 

trouble.     It  is  d d  bad  times  here.     My  best 

compliments  and  most  sincere  regards  to  Miss 
Ab — y  Col — nsf:  I  understand  you  are  acquainted 
with  her. 

"  Kemember  me  to  all  the  girls  that  lived  in  the 
hospital,  and  such  other  of  my  Boston  friends  as 
you  think  proper.  Believe  me  to  be,  Dr.  John, 
with  sincere  regard,  your  assured  friend,  etc., 

"  A.  GILES,  A.  D.  Camp. 

"  If  Dr.  Adams  is  in  Boston  please  to  give  him 
my  compliments,  and  desire  him  to  write.  Don't 
neglect  writing  to  me  by  return  of  post,  and 
let  me  know,  whether  or  no,  the  biz  about  Ti- 
conderoga  has  subsided." 

The  statement  of  Major  Giles  was  substantiated 
by  the  facts.  The  extension  of  the  fortifications 
by  order  of  Congress,  without  sufficient  men  to 
defend  them,  was  a  blunder,  and  the  neglect  to 
secure  Mt.  Defiance,  was  another.  Mt.  Defi- 
ance commanded  the  fort.  General  St.  Clair 
was  compelled  to  evacuate  it,  and  he  made  an  able 
retreat,  sustaining  an  attack  from  a  detachment  of 
Burgoyne's  army,  by  whom  he  was  closely  pursued. 


1777.]  GENERAL   ST.    GLAIR.  157 

Dr.  Thacher,  who  was  present,  has  given,  in  his 
"  Military  Journal,"  an  interesting  account  of  this 
retreat.  It  is  an  amusing  illustration  of  the  ex- 
travagance of  war  rumors  in  ante-telegraph  days, 
that  both  Schuyler  and  St.  Clair  were  reported  to 
be  traitors,  and  it  was  said  they '  were  paid  by 
the  enemy  for  their  treason  in  silver  balls,  which 
were  collected  by  order  of  General  St.  Clair,  and 
divided  between  him  and  General  Schuyler.  Dr. 
Thacher  states  that  this  rumor  met  with  consider- 
able credence.  It  was  at  least  extravagant  enough 
for  general  belief. 

When  the  facts  became  known,  General  St.  Clair 
was  universally  acquitted,  but  the  loss  of  the  fort 
was  a  most  serious  disaster,  and  produced  a  gloom 
all  over  the  country. 

We  may  notice,  in  the  above  letter,  a  delicate 
insinuation  in  regard  to  Miss  Ab — y  Col — ns. 

<—)  >  */ 

Dr.  Samuel  Adams,  writing  a  little  later  from 
the  General  Hospital  at  Fish  Kill,  September  7th, 
speaks  a  little  plainer :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  FRIEND  JACK,  —  I  received  your  very 
agreeable  favor  by  Dr.  Blanchard.  I  assure  you, 
my  friend,  I  am  always  happy  in  hearing  from 
you,  and  .hold  your  letters  in  the  highest  esti- 
mation. 

"  You  say,  unless  I  pass  a  few  moments  in  an- 
swering yours,  it  shall'  be  the  last.  Was  I,  Jack, 
conscious  of  neglect  in  this  respect,  I  should 
applaud  your  resolution ;  but  when  I  consider  that 
you  are  even  now  indebted  to  me  a  letter,  I  cannot 


158  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  24. 

account  for  it,  unless  I  had  the  great  vanity  to 
suppose  my  letters  were  agreeable — but  eno'  of  this. 

"  I  am  again  fixed  here,  my  old  station,  and  in 
all  probability  shall  remain  during  the  present 
campaign,  which  I  believe  will  not  call  very  loud 
for  the  attendance  of  surgeons.  .  In  the  whole 
department  there  are  about  five  hundred  sick, 
including  all  on  this  side  of  the  river.  But  I  can 
tell  you,  Monsieur  Mors  seldom  makes  his  appear- 
ance. 

"  We  frequently  have  petty  skirmishes  with  the 
enemy  near  King's  Bridge,  and  I  doubt  not  it  will 
afford  satisfaction  to  you  to  be  informed  that  our 
Dr.  Turnison,  has  captured  a  corporal  of  the  Brit- 
ish light  horse.  He  borrowed  a  pistol  from  a 
gentleman  who  stood  by,  and,  not  even  being  cer- 
tain whether  it  was  charged,  rushed  upon  him, 
within  two  hundred  yards  of  the  main  troops,  and 
after  receiving  the  fire  from  his  carbine  and  two 
pistols,  seized  him,  and  is  now  in  possession  of  a 
very  fine  horse.  So  much  for  the  honor  of  the 
hospital^  Jack. 

"  Our  good  friend  Cutler  has  been  exceedingly 
ill  with  a  very  severe  intermitting  fever,  but  I 
have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you  he  is  recovering 
fast,  and  desires  his  compliments  to  your  honor.  I 
assure  you,  doctor,  he  is  one  of  the  best  of  men. 

"  But,  Jack,  how  go  on  [hymenian]  affairs  ? 
Are  you  enlisted  under  his  god-ship  ?  Of  this  you 
must  inform  me  next  post.  My  best  compliments 

to  your I  wish  I  could  say,  wife ;  but  I  will 

venture  to  say,  Miss  C-l-s." 


1777.1  1>R.  ADAMS'  DEATH. 

"  How  is  our  good  friend  Mr.  Carries,  and  'his 
family  ?  God  knows  I  wish  them  the  greatest 
happiness  and  prosperity.  My  regards  to  him, 
Miss  Joe,  Aunt  Polly,  Mrs.  Games,  etc.,  etc.  Tell 
Mr.  Carnes  I  shall  omit  writing  to  him  till  next 
week,  when  I  am  in  hopes  I  shall  be  able  to  write 
to  him  some  good  news. 

"  Now,  friend  Jack,  I  flatter  myself  I  shall  hear* 
from  you  next  post,  informing  me  of  all  proper 
private  news,  as  well  as  public.     Till  then,  believe 
me  to  be,  dear  sir,  your  sincere  friend  and  humble 
servant,  SAMUEL  ADAMS,  JR. 

"  P.  S.  Do  call  on  Mr.  John  Carnes  soon,  and 
tell  him  I  called  at  Mr.  Buck's,  at  Salem,  but  his 
papa  had  set  off  for  Boston  two  days  before,  and 
as  I  supposed  his  letter  was  of  no  great  impor- 
tance, destroyed  it.  My  best  compliments  to  him 
and  family.  Has  Dolly  sold  all  her  desperate  fine 
ribbons  ?  S.  A." 

This  letter,  was,  doubtless,  the  last  my  father 
ever  received  from  Dr.  Adams.  He  died  of  a 
scrofulous  disease,  January  7th,  1778. 

When  General  Washington  took  command  of 
the  army  at  Cambridge,  his  first  aid-de-camp  was 
Colonel  Mifflin.  In  his  family,  or  within  the  camp 
precincts,  were  two  young  ladies  whose  personal 
qualities  rendered  them  the  centre  of  attraction 
among  the  officers  of  the  army.  One  was  Miss 
Wendall,  afterwards  Mrs.  Mellen.  The  other  was 
the  young  lady  alluded  to  in  the  preceding  letter, 
the  daughter  of  John  Collins,  Governor  of  Rhode 
Island. 


160  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

It  is  probable  that  his  estate  at  Castle  Hill, 
and  in  fact  the  whole  island,  was  too  much  ex- 
posed to  attacks  from  the  enemy's  fleet,  to  be  a 
safe  residence  at  this  time.  In  point  of  fact,  Rhode 
Island  was  taken  possession  of  by  the  British  in 
.December,  1776,  the  same  day  on  which  Washing- 
ton crossed  the  Delaware.  Miss  Collins,  therefore, 
came  to  Cambridge,  and  became  a  member  of  the 
family  of  her  cousin,  General  (then  Colonel) 
Mifflin,  and  afterwards  went  with  them  to  Phila- 
delphia. Whatever  might  have  been  the  case  at 
Cambridge,  during  the  first  privations  of  the  war, 
Colonel  Mifflin's  house  at  Philadelphia  was  the 
gayest  in  camp.  General  Washington,  absorbed 
in  the. greatness  of  his  cares  and  responsibilities, 
and  doubtless  wishing  to  set  a  good  example, 
lived  very  simply,  but  his  officers  felt  more 
privileged  to  enjoy  themselves.  John  Adams  and 
Mrs.  Adams  both  give  glowing  pictures  of  the 
festivities  at  Colonel  Mifflin's,  who  often  enter- 
tained the  officers  and  the  Commander-in-chief. 

We  are  accustomed  to  look  back  upon  the  army 
of  the  Revolution  as  on  a  scene  of  universal  dis- 
tress, suffering,  and  even  destitution,  especially  at 
the  period  we  are  now  considering.  But  there  is 
a  brighter  side.  Officers  and  soldiers  are  social, 
as  well  as  fighting  men,  and  must  have  enjoy- 
ments, if  it  were  only  to  soften  and  forget  the 
horrors  of  war.  Our  ante-revolutionary  fathers, 
who  possessed  the  means,  lived  in  a  style  of  a 
good  deal  of  elegance,  and  in  those  days  money 
went  much  farther  than  it  does  now.  It  is  true 


1777.]  MRS.    MIFFLIN.  161 

that  expensive  living  then,  as  well  as  now,  some- 
times led  to  dishonest  practices,  and  quartermas- 
ters cribbed  the  grain  and  other  public  stores  which 
passed  through  their  hands. 

General  Mifflin  is  described  "  as  a  man  of  educa- 
tion, ready  apprehension,  and  brilliancy,  who  had 
spent  some  time  in  Europe,  and  particularly 
France,  and  was  very  easy  of  access,  with  the 
manners  of  genteel  life,  though  occasionally  evolv- 
ing those  of  the  Quaker." 

Mrs.  Mifflin  was  a  Philadelphia  lady,  of  delicate 
health,  and  without  children.  Mrs.  Adams  speaks 
of  visiting  Mrs.  Morgan,  "  who  kept "  at  Mrs. 
Mifflin's,  in  December  1777,  and  meeting  Dr. 
Morgan  at  table.  The  professional  connection 
between  the  Director-general  and  Hospital-sur- 
geon must  have  rendered  my  father  a  frequent 
guest.  While  the  army  was  stationed  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Philadelphia,  he  had  the  opportu- 
nity of  renewing  the  intercourse  which  had  com- 
menced at  Cambridge.  Miss  Collins,  then  not  over 
seventeen,  excited  his  interest,  and  he  was  fortu- 
nate in  winning  her  from  the  many  rivals  who  sur- 
rounded her.  In  quiet  times,  and  in  easy  circum- 
stances, a  girl  of  seventeen  is  little  more  than  a 
child,  but  in  times  of  great  political  excitement, 
children  mature  fast. 

At  the  period  of  the  following  billet,  Miss  C. 
was  probably  staying  with  her  friends  in  Boston. 

"  Dr.  Warren  presents   his  compliments,  and,  if 

she  will  pardon  it,  his  Love,  to  Miss  Collins. 
11 


162  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

"  It  being  a  fine  day,  he  could  not  be  so  regard- 
less of  his  own  happiness  as  not  to  wish  to  know 
her  pleasure  with  regard  to  the  proposed  ride  to 
Cambridge.  If  she  pleases  to  go  in  the  afternoon, 
he  will  wait  upon  her  punctually  at  the  time 
assigned.  If  he  is  not  to  be  indulged  with  the 
happiness  to-day,  she  will  be  pleased  to  remember 
how  entirely  devoted  he  is  to  her  service,  and  that 
her  will  is  his  pleasure." 

If,  perhaps,  it  should  be  considered  that  this 
billet  is  rather  formal,  according  to  modern  no- 
tions, it  must  be  recollected  that  the  manners 
of  the  old  French  noblesse  then  gave  laws  to  the 
world.  Sans-culottism  had  not  yet  arisen  to 
spread  its  influence  over  society.  The  most  famil- 
iar letters  to  my  father,  beginning  "  Dear  Jack," 
generally  ended,  "your  most  obedient  and  very 
humble  servant." 

My '  father,  though  he  had  held  situations  of 
great  responsibility,  was  now  only  twenty-four 
years  old.  To  one  of  his  acute  sensibility,  all 
emotions  were  powerful.  He  was  in  the  highest 
degree  ardent  and  impulsive,  of  a  temperament 
susceptible  of  the  highest  enjoyment  and  the 
keenest  pain.  He  now  loved  with  an  ardor  that 
never  diminished  to  the  last  hour  of  his  life. 

Miss  Collins  possessed  a  good  deal  of  beauty ; 
that  especially  of  expression,  which  is  given  by 
strong  powers  of  mind.  Her  features  were  fine, 
her  stature  rather  tall  and  commanding,  and  she 
possessed  that  delicacy  of  complexion  which  the 


1777.]  MISS    COLLINS.  163 

Newport  climate  was  said  to  promote.  In  charac- 
ter she  formed  a  remarkable  and  happy  contrast 
to  my  father.  She  was  reserved,  self-possessed ;  of 
acute  sensibility  indeed,  but  this  sensibility  kept 
under  the  strictest  control.  She  was  one  who 
would  bear  the  sting  of  a  concealed  serpent, 
rather  than  let  the  world  know  she  suffered. 

Born  and  brought  up  in  a  Quaker  family,  she 
had  not  received  the  advantages  of  an  accom- 
plished education.  Domestic  duties,  and  particu- 
larly sewing,  were  considered  the  only  matters  of 
importance.  What  she  read  was  by  stealth,  and 
the  book  she  was  reading  was  carefully  concealed 
as  soon  as  an  approaching  footstep  was  heard. 

As  stolen  waters  are  sweet,  she  thus  derived  an 
insatiable  appetite  for  literature.  Books  were 
scarce  then.  Readers  depended  entirely  upon 
English  editions;  comparatively  few  were  printed 
here.  This  privation  led  to  the  cultivation  of 
powers  of  observation,  which  a  residence  at  head- 
quarters operated  to  mature.  She  is  said  to  have 
been  a  favorite  protege  of  Washington,  and  lived  in 
the  midst  of  the  elite  of  military  and  civil  life. 

In  the  intensely  exciting  topics  and  interests 
of  the  time,  the  intellectual  powers  of  the  mind 
were  developed,  and  the  conversation  acquired 
a  higher  tone,  while  vital  interests,  and  even 
personal  safety,  were  the  subjects  of  discussion. 
Conversation  supplied  the  place  of  reading,  and 
the  mind  was  cultivated  and  strengthened  by 
contact  with  other  superior  and  more  highly 
cultivated  intellects. 


164  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  24, 

It  is  the  necessity  of  a  mind  like  Dr.  "War- 
ren's, —  strong  in  a  sense  of  duty,  ready  to  en- 
counter danger  and  meet  opposition  with  firm- 
ness, accustomed  to  place  the  interests  of  others 
always  before  his  own,  in  absolute  forgetfulness 
of  self,  —  to  have  some  one,  and  one  of  the  softer 
sex  it  must  be,  upon  whom  he  can  throw  himself 
in  the  hours  of  weakness  and  distrust ;  to  whom 
he  can  unburden  himself  as  he  could  to  no  male 
friend,  and  find  that  support  which  a  strong  intel- 
lect and  clear  head  can  give. 

My  mother  could  give  this  support.  She  could, 
not  only  like  other  American  women  of  her  time 
and  this,  "  gird  on  the  sword  and  buckle  on  the 
spur,"  to  send  forth  a  husband  or  a  son  to  battle, 
but  she  could  aid  him  to  support  the  more  secret 
and  annoying  troubles  of  the  mind,  which  sting 
the  sharper  on  account  of  their  very  insignificance 
and  intangibility ;  troubles  which  some  men  never 
feel,  and  can  never  comprehend.  I  have  seen 
strong  robust  men  who  would  run  from  the  point 
of  a  needle,  and  faint  at  the  sight  of  a  drop  of 
blood,  who  were  perfectly  incapable  of  under- 
standing or  believing  in  any  pain  that  was  not 
physical. 

My  father  held  very  old-fashioned  notions  of 
marriage.  He  believed  that  man  and  wife  actu- 
ally became  one  ;  one  in  thought,  one  in  feeling, 
one  in  interest,  one  in  sympathy,  and  one  in  the 
ownership  of  property.  "  With  all  my  worldly 
goods  I  thee  endow,"  were  not  empty  words  with 
him.  They  might  not  have  been  used  in  his 


1777.]  BRIGHTER    PROSPECTS    OF    THE   WAR.  165 

marriage  ceremony,  but  their  spirit  was  fully 
adopted.  Whatever  was  his  was  hers. 

In  like  manner  he  wished  her  to  share  his 
political  pursuits  and  interests ;  even  his  medical 
studies  and  cares.  One  of  the  first  books  she  read 
after  her  marriage  was  a  treatise  on  surgery,  and 
Cullen's"  First  Lines." 

We  find  Dr.  Warren  established  as  Surgeon-gen- 
eral in  the  Military  Hospital  in  Boston,  in  June. 
His  occupations  here,  his  private  practice,  which 
was  rapidly  becoming  important,  his  disappoint- 
ment, if  it  was  such,  in  obtaining  a  higher  posi- 
tion ;  above  all,  his  new  formed  ties,  did  not  damp 
his  ardent  interest  in  the  public  cause,  and  the 
progress  of  the  war.  He  supported  it  by  conver- 
sation, by  writing,  and  by  his  earnest  efforts  in 
behalf  of  every  active  measure. 

Although  always  a  devoted  admirer  of  Washing- 
ton, it  is  not  improbable  that,  like  other  men  in 
New  England  at  this  time,  his  youthful  and  ardent 
spirit  may  have  thought  the  commander-in-chief 
too  slow  and  cautious.  There  is  no  evidence  that 
he  did  so,  but  it  is  not  improbable.  Men  could 
see  only  one  side,  and  were  ignorant  of  the  motives 
which  it  was  necessary  for  the  commander  to 
conceal.  Washington  was  censured  at  this  period 
of  the  war,  just  as  President  Lincoln  was  censured 
in  our  recent  Rebellion.  The  results  proved  that 
both  were  right,  and  what  happened  then  will 
happen  again,  and  the  most  censured  acts  of  a 
President  may  often,  after  his  administration  is 
closed,  and  party  rivalries  have  subsided,  prove 
to  have  been  the  most  wise  and  successful. 


166  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

Better  prospects  soon  dawned.  Some  successes 
were  obtained  in  the  north,  and  on  the  seven- 
teenth of  October  the  army  of  Burgoyne  laid 
down  their  arms.  This  is  alluded  to  in  a  letter 
of  Major  Giles  from  Headquarters,  Whiteplain 
Township,  on  the  thirtieth  of  October :  — 

"  I  have  just  time  to  ask  how  Mrs.  Warren  and 
you  are  ? 

"  I  congratulate  you  on  the  signal  successes  of 
the  American  arms,  both  to  the  northward,  and 
here.  The  northern  affair  you  have  doubtless 
heard  of,  and  the  particulars. 

"  Twelve  hundred  Hessians,  under  command  of 
Count  Donop,  attacked  Fort  Mercer,  at  Eed  Bank, 
in  New  Jersey,  in  which  were  five  hundred  of  our 
men,  on  the  twenty-second  instant.  The  attack 
lasted  forty  minutes,  when  the  enemy  were  obliged 
to  retreat  with  the  loss  of  the  Count,  his  brigade- 
major,  and  near  four  hundred  killed,  wounded,  and 
prisoners.  And  on  the  twenty-fourth,  two  of  the 
enemy's  ships  of  war,  one  of  sixty-four  guns,  the 
other  a  thirty-two,  got  on  shore  in  endeavoring  to 
get  through  the  Ceroux-de-frois}-  They  were  im- 
mediately set  on  fire  and  burnt. 

"My  best  compliments  to  Mrs.  Warren,  and 
sincere  regard  for  yourself.  Be  good  enough  to 
let  ine  hear  from  you.  I  am  your  sincere  friend 
and  obedient  humble  servant,  A.  GILES." 

As  Fort  Mercer  was  a  place  of  very  great 
importance,  General  Washington  had  placed  Col- 

1  Chevaux-de-frise. 


1777.]  COMPLIMENTS    TO    MRS.    WARREN.  167 

onel  Christopher  Greene  in  command  of  it.  "  The 
whole  defense  of  the  Delaware,"  he  writes  to  him, 
"  depends  upon  it,  and  consequently  all  hope  of 
keeping  Philadelphia,  and  finally  succeeding  in  the 
present  campaign." 

Lord  Cornwallis  had  taken  possession  of  Phila- 
delphia on  the  twenty-sixth  of  September,  soon 
after  the  battle  of  Brandywine.  Colonel  Greene 
received  a  vote  of  thanks  from  Congress,  and  the 
present  of  a  sword. 

Major  Giles  seems  to  have  been  rather  prema- 
ture in  his  compliments  to  Mrs.  Warren,  as  my 
father  was  not  then  married,  but  this  event  doubt- 
less took  place  before  the  letter  was  received. 

Dr.  Warren's  marriage  took  place  on  the  fourth 
of  November.  His  first  residence,  according  to  Dr. 
John  C.  Warren,  was  in  a  house  at  the  corner  of 
Avon  Place  and  Central  Court. 


CHAPTER  X. 

1777. 
MARRIAGE. 

Marriage,  November  4. — Residence  Corner  of  Avon  Place. — Res 

O     ' 

Angustse' Domi. — Dr.  Cutting's  Letter  from  Bethlehem. — Dr. 
Craigie's  Letter.  —  Hospital  for  Small-pox.  —  Partnership  for 
Inoculation.  —  Articles  of  Agreement.  —  Valley  Forge.  —  Cupid- 
ity of  Army  Contractors.  —  Gates'  Discontent  at  Washington's 
Caution.  —  Alliance  with  France.  —  Arrival  of  French  Fleet.  — 
Encounter  with  Keppell.  —  Disappointment.  —  General  Greene. 
—  Lafayette.  —  Dr.  Warren  goes  with  the  Volunteers.  —  French 
Fleet  dispersed  by  a  Storm.  —  Birth  of  J.  C.  Warren,  August  1.  — 
Dr.  Warren's  Letters  from  Rhode  Island.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Col- 
lins. —  Letter  from  Dr.  Eustis.  —  Dr.  Shippen.  —  Dr.  Warren 
returns  to  Boston.  —  Foreigners.  —  Latin.  —  Major  Baury.  —  A 
Sleigh-ride. 


T 


HE  first  months  of  a  man's  married  life,  though 
doubtless  to  himself  the  happiest  period  of 
existence,  glide  rapidly  by,  and  leave  little  to  re- 
member or  record.  Deeply  occupied  in  his  hos- 
pital cares  and  the  extension  of  his  business, 
Dr.  Warren  was  still  ever  on  the  alert  to  aid  the 
common  cause. 

It  may  be  considered  evidence  of  the  sound 
judgment  of  the  companion  whom  he  had  chosen 
for  life,  that  she  had  resisted  the  more  brilliant 
attractions  of  wealth  and  splendor,  with  which  she 
was  surrounded,  and,  courted  as  she  was,  had  the 
discernment,  at  this  youthful  period,  to  perceive 
and  to  prefer  talents  and  integrity.  Of  wealth, 


1777.]  RES   ANGUST^   DOMI.  169 

there  was  none.  The  surgeon's  pay,  and  the 
profits  of  a  commencing  practice,  were  all  there 
was  to  live  upon.  We  have  seen  how  straitened 
were  his  means  before  leaving  Salem,  and  in 
settling  down  in  a  new  place,  he  had  of  course  to 
begin  to  form  a  new  practice,  with  the  help  only 
of  the  experience  he  had  acquired,  and  the  repu- 
tation for  ability  and  zeal  which  reached  from 
Salem. 

The  change  from  the  brilliancy  of  camp  life  at 
headquarters  in  Philadelphia,  to  the  charge  of  a 
small  private  household,  was  a  very  great  one,  and 
for  the  first,  indeed,  for  many  years,  the  Res  angustce 
domi  were  severely  felt.  Mrs.  Warren  could  not 
have  had  much  of  her  husband's  time,  but  she 
shared  in  all  his  interests,  and  there  was  plenty  to 
excite  an  ardent,  not  to  say  a  romantic  spirit. 
Secret  expeditions  were  several  times  projected  by 
the  government  of  Massachusetts,  for  the  defense 
and  relief  of  the  people  of  St.  John's  and  others  in 
the  neighborhood,  who  were  friendly  to  the  United 
States.  There  was  one  to  Newport,  on  the  seven- 
teenth of  September,  which  was  unsuccessful,  but 
was  renewed  the  following  year,  when  the  French 
fleet  was  expected  to  cooperate. 

I  find  the  following  long  letter  by  Dr.  Cutting, 
written  on  the  17th  of  December,  from  the  Gen- 
eral Hospital  in  Bethlehem.  It  will  serve  to  show 
what  was  the  appreciation  of  the  choice  he  had 
made,  by  at  least  one  of  my  father's  friends  :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  This  is  my  third  since  I  left 


170  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  24. 

Boston  ;  and,  upon  ray  word,  shall  be  the  last  you 
receive  from  me  without  some  sign  or  token  that 
you  are  either  unable  or  unwilling  to  write. 

"I  have  made  all  proper  and  reasonable  apol- 
ogies for  you  that  I  thought  could  be  made  for 
negligence  in  this  particular.  I  have  figured  you 
in  the  arms  of  connubial  bliss,  possessing  and  pos- 
sessed of  Beauty,  Merit,  and  Love.  Beauty,  enough 
to  warm  the  frigid  breast  of  Philosophy  and  Wisdom 
with  rapture.  Merit,  amply  sufficient  to  justify 
the  transport  as  rational :  and  Love,  genuine  love, 
more  than  enough  to  supply  the  deficiencies  of 
both  the  former,  and  build  up  a  superstructure  of 
happiness  during  life  on  its  own  basis. 

"But  surely  the  most  sublime  degree  of  felicity 
obtainable  on  earth  ought  not  entirely  to  drive 
the  first  principle  of  it,  universal  benevolence,  from 
your  heart.  You  see  I  have  not  urged  friendship 
as  a  motive  to  induce  you  to  inform  me  of  your 
welfare.  No ;  I  have  only  mentioned  that  general 
feeling  or  disposition,  whose  influence  diffuses  pleas- 
ure on  all  mankind,  as  the  more  probable  reason 
that  impelled  you  to  a  correspondence  with  me  at 
first ;  for  surely  the  affection  of  friendship  needs  no 
prompter,  and  it  seems  in  our  written  intercourse  you 
do. 

"  I  have  heard  nothing  from  Boston  this  three 
months,  except  anxious  inquiries  for  an  article, 
which  at  present  is  as  scarce  as  blankets  in  our 
army,  or  health  in  the  General  Hospital ;  I  mean 
news.  All  I  can  tell  you  is,  that  the  enemy  have 
ravaged  the  country  within  sixteen  miles  of  the 


1777.]  DR.  CUTTING'S  LETTER.  171 

city,  in  such  a  manner  that  Jersey  is  a  paradise  to 
it,  —  and  that  our  army  having  somewhat  assisted 
in  this  work  through  necessity,  after  offering  to 
fight  them  on  equal  terms  on  this  side  the  Schuyl- 
kill,  have  now  crossed  it  for  winter  quarters,  or 
plentiful  forage,  I  don't  know  which ;  and  that,  in 
consequence  of  this  manoeuvre,  I  am  obliged  at 

this  d d  disagreeable  season  to  prepare  for  a 

march  to  Lancaster,  with  all  my  medicines,  etc.,  etc., 
which  has  quite  unhinged  me.  As  to  the  sick,  God 
only  knows  where  we  shall  find  room  for  them, 
"  in  the  rear  of  the  army  towards  Lancaster ;  "  but 
they  are  ordered  to  be  removed  immediately  in 
that  direction.  I  am,  you  know,  sanguine  enough 
upon  these  occasions ;  but,  upon  my  word,  we 
don't  cut  a  very  respectable  figure  in  the  fighting 
way  in  this  State,  however  we  may  have  done  at 
the  northward.  Colonel  Morgan  is  skirmishing 
with  the  enemy  every  day,  we  are  told,  more  or 
less. 

"  When  the  enemy  came  out  with  a  show  of 
fighting  on  the  5th  inst.,  the  riflemen  and  militia 
killed  them  ;  about  two  hundred,  from  the  best  ac- 
counts, and  among  them  a  Colonel  Abercrombie. 
They  wounded  and  took  from  us  a  militia  briga- 
dier, General  Irwin,  who  behaved  well,  with  part 
of  his  men,  who  did  not  run  away.  Major  Morris, 
of  Morgan's  Corps,  got  a  wound  through  the 
cheeks,  but  not  dangerous.  Since  the  main  body 
of  the  enemy  went  into  Philadelphia,  Lieutenant- 
general  Lord  Cornwallis  at  the  head  of  six  thousand 
choice  lads  of  the  British,  has  been  out  on  the  other 


172  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [A«E  24- 

side  of  the  Schuylkill,  destroying  everything  on  the 
face  of  the  earth,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  city, — 
that  could  not  be  carried  in.  This  produced  some 
skirmishing  between  his  advanced  parties  and  ours, 
but  nothing  of  consequence  ensued.  Their  devas- 
tations create  us  many  friends,  and,  I  believe,  some 
few  soldiers ;  but  to  paint  them  with  the  undeviat- 
ing  pencil  of  truth  in  their  general  colors,  would 
be  a  task  painful  to  every  feeling  of  humanity, 
every  principle  of  pity  and  benevolence. 

"  Not  content  with  taking  from  the  trembling 
anti-pugnacious  inhabitants,  all  their  cattle,  forage, 
and  sustenance  of  every  kind,  the  inhuman  soldiers 
have,  in  many  hundred  instances  that  have  come  to 
my  knowledge,  stripped  their  clothes  from  the 
backs  of  men,  women,  and  children,  after  burning 
and  plundering  their  houses  and  plantations,  and 
left  them  almost  naked  to  the  inclemency  of  the 
season.  Every  day  increases  their  contempt  of 
those  who  court  their  protection,  and  many  of  the 
Quakers  begin  to  have  their  eyes  and  ears  ivide  open. 
When  General  Howe  first  came  to  the  city,  the 
army  were  moderate  and  even  friendly  to  these  peo- 
ple, who  gave  many  proofs  of  their  warm  attach- 
ment to  his  cause  and  interest,  especially  in  such 
particulars  as  they  judged  best  might  promote  their 
own.  Among  others  of  this  kind  they  made  a  pres- 
ent to  General  Howe  of  six  thousand  pounds  cur- 
rency, in  paper  emission,  of  the  old  proprietary 
royal  stamp. 

"  The  scheme  succeeded,  as  he  had  very  little 
specie  at  the  time,  and  accordingly  paper  money 


1777.]  RAVAGES    OF   THE   ENEMY.  173 

of  the  old  emission  passed  current  in  payments  of 
every  kind  ;  but  as  soon  as  the  forts  were  reduced, 
the  shipping  up,  and  the  officers  had  disposed  of 
the  royal  trash,  no  money  but  gold  or  silver  would 
pass,  and  accordingly  it  never  has  had  any  value 
since. 

"  Then  were  the  liters  bit,  and  thousands  of  the 
poorer  inhabitants  obliged  either  to  starve  or  come 
out  of  the  city  to  buy  their  bread.  In  short,  ex- 
cepting the  dependants  of  the  British  army,  and  a 
few  timid  men,  whose  souls,  like  Issachar's,  chose  to 
couch  down  between  two  burdens,  and  become  the 
hewers  of  wood  and  the  drawers  of  water  for  their 
lords  and  tyrants,  the  Philistines,  General  Howe 
dwells  in  the  midst  of  a  larger  circle  of  independ- 
ent Whigs  (that  will  be  when  they  can  escape  his 
jurisdiction)  than  he  has  ever  done  since  he  left 
Boston. 

"  Our  prisoners  have  been  most  cruelly  used  by 
the  British  army,  but  the  inhabitants  in  general 
and  Quakers  in  particular,  have  been  very  kind  to 
them.  This  conduct,  on  the  part  of  the  Royal 
army,  has  produced  a  most  severe,  spirited,  and 
genteel  remonstrance  from  General  Washington, 
which  has  had  a  good  effect.  By  the  way,  I  should 
be  pleased  to  hear  how  Burgoyne  and  his  legions 
behave  themselves,  and  what  time  it  is  expected  he 
will  take  his  seat  in  Parliament,  —  and  whether  our 
reports,  which  say  the  convention  has  been  broken 
up  by  his  officers,  are  true  or  not  ? 

"  Any  article  of  foreign  or  domestic  intelligence 
from  Boston  will  give  one  an  air  of  importance  at 


174  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25- 

Lancaster,  where  your  letters  may  find  me ;  there- 
fore please  to  insert  them.  Please  to  make  my 
compliments  acceptable  to  Colonel  Carey  and  lady. 
The  Colonel  was  in  camp  the  other  day,  but  I  just 
missed  seeing  him.  I  wrote  him  sometime  since. 
Do  for  Heaven's  sake  inform  me,  Jack,  whether 
there  is  such  a  lady  as  Miss  A.  Collins  existing  ? 
If  there  is  not,  present  my  best  regards  to  Mrs. 
Warren,  and  give  her  a  bridal  kiss  from  me.  Com- 
pliments to  her  sister  and  Miss  Gushing.  T  won- 
der whether  Miss  Tyler  got  a  letter  from  me  a 
month  ago.  When  you  see  her,  a  kind  remem- 
brance from  me  should  be  presented. 

"  The  Miss  Larkins  came  out  of  the  city  two 
weeks  ago,  and  desire  congratulatory  compliments 
to  you.  They  inform  me  that  Jack  Park  has  got 
a  new  mistress,  a  Tory  girl,  in  Philadelphia,  whom 
he  courts  through  the  lines  at  present.  Whatever 
this  scrawl  is  deficient  in,  I  am  very  certain  it  is 
not  in  length,  and  so  good-by. 

«  Yours,  J.  B.  CUTTING." 

Dr.  Craigie  writes  from  Albany  on  the  16th  of 
January :  — 

"  DEAR  WARREN,  —  I  take  the  freedom  to  intro- 
duce to  your  valuable  acquaintance  Dr.  Hays,  a 
gentleman  of  the  British  army,  and  who  has  the 
direction  of  the  British  Hospital  in  this  city. 

•'  He  goes  on  a  visit  to  General  Burgoyne,  and 
will  spend  a  few  hours  in  town.  I  shall  be  much 
obliged  by  every  civility  shown  him,  and  flatter 
myself  you  will  find  great  pleasure  in  his  company. 


1778.]  SMALL-POX.  175 

"  Permit  me  to  congratulate  you  upon  the  pleas- 
ures of  a  new  campaign,  which  you  have  lately 
opened  to  yourself.  It  cannot  fail  being  a  happy 
one.  I  can  only  wish  it  may  be  lasting.  I  hope 
soon  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you.  My  best 
compliments  to  Mrs.  Warren.  Adieu." 

This  letter  is  directed  to  "Dr.  Warren,  Senior 
Surgeon  at  the  General  Hospital,  Boston." 

In  the  ensuing  spring  my  father  entered  into  a 
partnership  with  Dr.  Rand  and  Dr.  Haywood,  for 
the  formation  of  a  hospital  at  Sewall's  Point,  Brook- 
line,  for  inoculation  for  the  small-pox,  and  treat- 
ment of  patients  attacked  with  that  disease.  This 
partnership  was  to  continue  fourteen  months.  The 
articles  of  agreement  were  as  follows  :  — 

"  Articles  of  agreement  made  and  concluded  this 
twenty-third  day  of  April,  1778,  between  us  the 
subscribers,  viz. :  That  we,  from  this  time  forward, 
for  the  space  of  fourteen  months,  do  enter  in  part- 
nership in  the  business  of  inoculating  for  the  small- 
pox at  Sewall's  Point,  in  Brookline,  and  also  for 
patients  in  the  natural  small-pox  that  may  be  sent 
to  said  hospital  (except  those  patients  belonging 
to  the  army). 

"  2d.  That  we  will  be  at  equal  charges  in  repair- 
ing the  barracks,  which  we  shall  improve  for  said 
inoculation,  and  all  other  necessary  charges, — 
also  at  equal  expenses  for  medicines  for  the  use  of 
our  patients,  and  that  the  profits  arising  therefrom 
shall  be  equally  divided  between  us. 

"  3d.   That  neither  of  said  parties  shall  carry  on 


176  LIFE   OP   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

any  business  relating  to  the  small-pox  separately 
at  said  hospital,  during  said  term  of  fourteen 
months  (always  excepting  any  troops  or  any  of  the 
army  which  shall  be  sent  to  said  hospital  by  order 
of  the  General,  etc. ;  they  belonging  to  said  John 
Warren).  In  witness  whereof,  the  said  parties  have 
interchangeably  set  their  hands,  the  day  and  year 
above  written. 

(Signed)  ISAAC  RAND, 

LEML  HAY  WOOD, 
JOHN  WARREN." 

The  hardships  of  our  troops  during  the  terrible 
winter  passed  at  Valley  Forge,  have  been  forcibly 
described  by  the  historians  of  the  war. 

"  Nothing,"  says  Botta,  "  could  be  imagined  to 
equal  the  sufferings  which  the  American  army  had 
to  undergo  in  the  course  of  this  winter,  except  the 
almost  superhuman  firmness  with  which  they  bore 
them."  They  were  almost  naked,  a  few  had  one 
shirt,  many  only  the  moiety  of  one.  Many  had  to 
walk  barefoot.  Few,  if  any,  had  blankets.  Straw 
could  not  be  procured.  The  food  was  of  the 
coarsest  quality,  and  medicines  were  either  abso- 
lutely wanting  or  of  the  worst  quality,  and  adul- 
terated through  the  cupidity  of  army  contractors. 
"  For  such,  in  general,"  says  Botta,  "  has  been  the 
cupidity  of  these  furnishers  of  armies,  that  they 
should  rather  be  denominated  the  artisans  of  scar- 
city ;  they  have  always  preferred  money  to  the  life 
of  the  soldiers." 

Washington  did  all  that  sharp  oversight  and  dili- 


1778.]  VALLEY   FORGE.  177 

gent  attention  could  do  to  remedy  these  abuses. 
While  forming  a  part  of  the  family  of  General 
Mifflin,  my  mother  was  cognizant  of  some  of  the 
secret  causes  of  disaffection  which  were  gradually 
brewing  against  the  great  General.  His  close  in- 
spection of  accounts  was  among  these.  The  ac- 
counts for  grain,  which  came  under  the  charge  of 
certain  officers,  were  found  largely  to  exceed  the 
amount  actually  received,  and  Washington  did  not 
spare  his  censure.  These  officers  were  indig- 
nant at  what  they  considered  the  meanness  of 
Washington,  in  looking  into  the  horses'  cribs  to 
see  how  much  grain  was  used.  Hence,  a  bitter- 
ness arose,  which  led  them  to  join  in  the  cabals 
which  were  maturing  at  this  period. 

Samuel  Adams  had  never  been  able  to  brook 
that  the  supreme  command  should  be  held  by  a 
Virginian.  Gates  was  not  willing  to  be  second  in 
command.  The  moderation  of  Washington  was 
objected  to  by  some  who  wished  a  more  decided 
Republican  at  the  head  of  affairs.  Officers  and 
soldiers  were  disgusted  with  the  "  Fabian  "  policy 
which  had  kept  them  so  long  inactive. 

But  matters  were  improving.  An  alliance  had 
at  last  been  formed  with  the  court  of  France.  On 
the  13th  of  April  their  fleet  sailed  from  Toulon. 
It  was  the  intention  to  proceed  with  all  speed  to 
America,  and  appear  suddenly  in  the  waters  of  the 
Delaware  in  hopes  to  destroy  the  far  inferior  force 
of  Lord  Howe,  which  had  sailed  up  that  river.  This 
done,  —  the  army  of  Clinton  attacked  in  front  by 


12 


178  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

Washington,  and  in  rear  by  the  French  fleet, — 
must  have  been  compelled  to  surrender. 

This  project  was  defeated  by  an  encounter  with 
the  English  fleet  under  Keppel.  It  was  then  de- 
termined to  direct  their  operations  against  Rhode 
Island. 

A  plan  for  this  purpose  had  been  concerted  be- 
tween the  Count  D'Estaing  and  the  American  Con- 
gress. One  thousand  of  the  militia  of  Massachu- 
setts was  already  stationed  in  that  neighborhood. 
Two  thousand  more  were  ordered  out,  and  volun- 
teer companies  were  raised  in  Boston,  Salem,  Bev- 
erly, and  other  towns. 

General  Greene,  who  was  a  native  of  Rhode 
Island,  and  a  cousin  of  my  mother,  was  ordered 
hither,  and  the  Marquis  Lafayette  came  as  volun- 
teer. So  that  nine  or  ten  thousand  troops  were 
assembled,  while  the  English  commander,  Sir  Rob- 
ert Pigot,  had  but  six  thousand,  —  though  well 
fortified  —  at  Newport. 

Many  distinguished  citizens  joined  the  expedition 
as  volunteers,  and  my  father 'was  not  to  be  with- 
held from  following  their  example.  The  principle 
so  strongly  laid  down  afterwards  in  his  Fourth  of 
July  oration,  —  that  all  other  claims  must  yield  to 
love  of  country,  —  how  far  this  principle  triumphed 
over  private  feeling  must  be  judged,  when  neither 
his  professional  business,  his  recent  marriage,  or 
the  situation  of  his  youthful  wife  could  restrain 
him. 

Count  D'Estaing  had  arrived  on  the  29th  of 
July  at  Point  Judith,  five  miles  from  Newport,  and 


1778.]  LETTER   FROM  RHODE   ISLAND.  179 

a  joint  attack  upon  the  English  forces  was  planned 
and  commenced  on  the  ninth  of  August  by  General 
Sullivan,  who  confidently  expected  the  cooperation 
of  the  French  fleet. 

This  movement  is  said  to  have  given  offence  to 
D'Estaing,  who  expected  to  have  been  the  first  to 
set  foot  upon  the  island.  Instead  of  immediately 
joining  in  the  attack ;  on  the  approach  of  the  Eng- 
lish fleet,  he  was  led  out  of  the  harbor  to  meet 
them. 

The  British  commander,  having  an  inferior  force, 
avoided  the  engagement.  A  violent  storm  arose, 
which  shattered  the  French  fleet  and  caused  severe 
suffering  to  the  army.  Fortunately  it  also  delayed 
the  arrival  of  the  English,  for  had  they  come  upon 
the  French  fleet  in  its  dispersed  condition,  they 
must  have  destroyed  it.  On  the  other  hand,  had 
the  storm  continued,  the  whole  English  fleet  must 
have  been  lost. 

Dr.  Warren's  first  child,  John  Collins,  was  born 
on  the  1st  of  August.  His  first  letter,  which  has 
been  preserved,  is  a  mere  fragment.  It  is  dated 
from  Tiverton,  August  tenth.  He  writes  like  the 
ardent  and  youthful  lover,  as  well  as  the  earnest 
patriot.  General  Washington  begins  his  letters  to 
his  wife,  "  My  dearest  Life  and  Love."  My  father's 
commencement  was  equally  expressive ;  in  some  it 
was  more  concise  :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  GIRL,  —  Yesterday  morning  at  seven 
o'clock,  Colonel  Upham's  regiment  landed  on  the 
Island,  and  were  soon  followed  by  the  whole  of  the 
troops. 


180  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

•  "  There  was  no  opposition  made,  the  enemy  hav- 
ing before  evacuated  all  the  forts  at  the  north  end 
of  the  island,  and  retired  to  the  fortresses  near  the 
town.  Our  army  was  to  have  marched  this  morn- 
ing toward  their  lines,  but  intelligence  being  re- 
ceived last  evening  that  an  English  fleet  was  at 
the  mouth  of  the  harbor,  our  dispositions  were  al- 
tered, and  we  are  still  lying  upon  our  old  ground. 
About  one  hour  and  a  half  ago  the  French  fleet, 
which  had  laid  up  a  little  above  and  west  of  the 
town,  set  sail  to  attack  the  enemy's  fleet.  I  was 
at  a  commanding  post  on  the  island,  and  saw  a 
most  beautiful  cannonade  between  the  French  fleet 
and  the  forts." 

The  next  page  of  this  letter  is  unfortunately 
too  much  torn  to  be  transcribed.  Dr.  Warren 
says,  however,  "that  the  firing  was  so  incessant, 
and  such  a  continued  blaze  for  about  two  hours,  as 
he  never  saw  before.  Should  the  two  fleets  come  to 
an  engagement  they  will  soon  determine  who  shall 
have  full  possession  of  the  island.  We  hear  by 
express,  from  Count  D'Estaing  last  night,  the  gen- 
eral intelligence  that  the  English  fleet  consisted  of 
twenty-nine  sail,  and  they  judge  eight  of  them  to 
be  ships  of  the  line,  besides  which  there  were  a 
number  of  frigates,  and  some  supposed  to  be  from 
New  York,  with  a  troop  to  reinforce  their  army 
here.  If  this  is  the  case,  our  force  is  the  largest, 
and  we  shall,  no  doubt,  beat  them.  If  this  should 
be  true,  my  dear,  we  shall  soon  be  possessed  of 
that  town,  which  will  give  me  the  greatest  pleas- 


1778.]  LETTERS    FROM   RHODE   ISLAND.  181 

ure,  as  I  love  every  particular  stone  of  it,  for  its 
giving  birth  to  one  whose  happiness  and  safety  is 
the  sum  of  all  I  wish  in  life,  and  the  object  of  every 
action  I  perform. 

K  Now,  my  dear  girl,  I  am  to  inform  you  that 
your  papa  is  here,  and  in  good  health  and  fine 
spirits.  He  is  at  this  moment  at  your  kinsman's, 
Sain1.  Collins,  where  also  is  Miss  Betsey  Collins, 
who  inquires  for  you. 

"  We  have  a  fine  body  of  men,  and  all  in  great 
spirits.  I  should  feel  happy  if  I  could  but  hear 
you  are  well ;  but  0 !  how  much  happier  to  see 
you.  I  feel  I  cannot  be  long  absent  from  you,  so 
you  may  soon  expect  to  see  me.  Remember  me 
most  affectionately  to  your  mamma,  whom  you 
know  I  so  much  esteem.  Love  to  Polly,  and  all 
friends." 

The  next  letter,  curiously  enough,  is  dated  "  Bos- 
ton, August  15th."  The  cooperation  of  the  French 
fleet  was  still  expected  :  — 

"  MY  ALL,  —  The  line  just  put  into  my  hand  by 
Mr.  Rogers  has  made  me  so  happy  that  I  shall  this 
night  either  sleep  soundly  and  quietly,  or  imagine 
myself  holding  social  converse  with  the  charmer 
of  my  soul ;  but  the  greater  portion  of  happiness 
I  have  still  in  view,  which  is  that  of  receiving  your 
(as  you  call  it,  and  I  hope  to  find  it)  long  letter, 
which  I  understand  Mr.  Alexander  has  brought 
for  me.  Believe  me,  my  dear,  I  have  travelled 
through  the  whole  of  our  part  of  the  island  to  find 
him,  but  have  been  so  extremely  unhappy  as  to 
have  missed  him  upon  every  inquiry. 


182  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

"  However,  I  expect  to  feast  most  luxuriantly 
upon  those  lovely  lines  which  your  hand  has  passed 
over.  I  envy  not  the  splendor  and  magnificence 
of  the  most  superb  crown  that  ever  graced  the 
head  of  regal  dignity,  when  I  consider  myself  as 
the  object  of  your  care  and  love. 

"I  am  blest  with  every  comfort  here  that  I 
could  reasonably  expect,  but,  my  dear  girl,  when  I 
look  back  upon  the  busy  scenes  of  this  bustling 
life,  and  compare  them  with  the  calm  sunshine  of 
domestic  conjugal  happiness,  with  all  the  endear- 
ments of  that  connection  of  which  I  have  the 
greatest  reason  to  speak  in  the  highest  terms  con- 
ceivable, I  find  a  vacuum  in  the  assemblage  which 
nothing  but  your  lovely  self  can  fill. 

"  We  have  this  day  moved  with  the  whole  army 
to  about  three  miles  from  town,  near  Tominy  Hill. 
We  had  a  few  shots  from  them  to-day  —  no  harm 
done.  We  intrench  to-night ;  the  fleet  is  not  yet 
arrived.  In  the  morning  there  was  a  booming  of 
cannon. 

"  All  in  good  spirits.  I  am  well.  Write  often, 
and  cement  the  love  I  bear  you,  already  stronger 
than  death.  I  am,  dear  girl, 

"  Your  faithful  husband, 

"JOHN  WARREN." 

On  Saturday  evening,  August  22,  he  writes  :  — 

"  MY  DEAR  ABBY,  —  I  have  this  afternoon  received 
your  favor  of  last  Wednesday  and  Thursday.  The 
information  it  contains  of  your  illness  the  evening 
preceding  the  former  date,  gives  me  the  greatest 


1778.]  LETTERS    FROM    RHODE   ISLAND.  183 

uneasiness.  Had  it  not  been  for  the  reviving  in- 
fluence of  your  postscript,  wherein  you  tell  me 
you  are  totally  recovered,  I  think  I  should  have 
broken  through,  all  my  obligations  to  have  afforded 
all  possible  relief  to  one  upon  whom  my  happiness 
totally  depends. 

"  But  perhaps  I  flatter  myself  too  far.  Perhaps 
your  fear  of  giving  me  concern  has  induced  you 
to  represent  your  situation  better  than  it  is.  I 
hope  you  would  not  deceive  me,  my  dear  girl,  in  a 
matter  of  so  much  importance.  From  henceforth 
e very  ( moment  of  my  abode  at  this  distance  from 
you  will  pass  heavily  away.  But,  dear  girl,  if  there 
is  any  disagreeable  complaint  remaining,  by  all 
means  let  me  know  by  the  next  post.  I  will  not, 
on  any  consideration  whatever,  sacrifice  the  all  I 
possess,  to  any  ideal  views  of  honor,  when  my  pos- 
itive duty  does  not  call  me  to  it.  Write  immedi- 
ately, and  write  everything  without  reserve. 

"  If  the  swelling  or  hardness  of  the  breast  con- 
tinues, let  the  inclosed  recipe  be  put  up  by  Dr. 
Willard,  and  rub  it  on  three  or  four  times  a  day. 
But  if  anything  sudden  should  take  place,  immedi- 
ately procure  the  best  assistance.  I  feel,  if  possi- 
ble, more  than  you  undergo. 

"  You  call  my  letters  love  epistles ;  I  care  not 
what  epithet  you  give  them ;  they  speak  the  senti- 
ments of  my  heart.  I  trust  I  am  not  enervated  by 
effeminacy ;  I  am  ready  to  brave  all  the  dangers  of 
the  field  :  but  the  feelings  of  humanity  and  sympa- 
thizing tenderness  are  far  from  being  incompatible 
with  the  character  of  true  heroism. 


184  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

"  I  am  glad,  my  dear  girl,  that  you  like  my  polit- 
ical intelligence.  You  shall  hear  everything  that 
happens.  I  wrote  the  chief  news  we  have  of  late, 
yesterday ;  but  let  Mr.  Avery  know  that  one  of 
the  brigs  mentioned  in  my  letter  to  him,  the  Bomb 
Ketch,  contained  two  mortars;  one  thirteen  inches, 
the  other  ten ;  both  of  which  were  taken  out  and 
the  vessel  burnt.  The  mortars  may  be  of  great 
use  to  us.  They  are  brass. 

"  The  other  prize  mentioned,  instead  of  being 
the  Bengal,  a  frigate,  was  the  Senegal,  of  sixteen 
guns,  which  is  one  of  the  fleet. 

"  Never  was  a  storm  so  unfortunate ;  in  conse- 
quence of  which  I  am  afraid  you  will  shortly  see 
the  French  fleet  in  Boston  harbor.  In  all  proba- 
bility had  the  weather  continued  severe,  the  whole 
English  fleet  would  have  been  taken,  and  doubtless 
in  consequence  of  it  N . 

"But  I  think  you  may  collect  from  my  letters 
that  I  have  never  been  over  sure. 

"  Can  you  be  happy,  my  dear,  let  things  go 
as  they  will  ?  If  so,  then  can  I.  I  do,  however, 
really  expect  to  see  you  very  soon.  It  cannot  be 
long  ere  the  •  close  of  the  expedition.  Love  to 
Polly.  Eespects  to  your  dear  worthy  mamma. 

"  P.  S.  That  you  may  know  how  to  read  this 
letter,  I  have  numbered  it ;  as  otherwise  it  would 
have  puzzled  you  greatly." 

It  appears  from  this  letter  that  Mrs.  Collins, 
the  mother  of  Mrs.  Warren,  was  staying  with  her 
daughter  at  this  time.  Besides,  that  the  latter  had 


1778.]  LETTERS   FROM    RHODE   ISLAND.  185 

need  of  her  care  and  attention  at  this  particular 
period,  Castle  Hill  was  probably  in  possession  of 
the  English,  and  in  every  respect  an  unsafe  place 
of  residence.  Governor  Collins  was  with  the 
American  army  at  Newport.  Having  given  a  let- 
ter from  Dr.  Warren's  mother,  I  now  give  one 
from  Mrs.  Collins.  They  are  somewhat  in  contrast. 
The  one  looking  especially  to  spiritual  matters. 
The  other  to  more  domestic  cares.  The  year  is 
not  stated,  but  it  must  have  been  written  some- 
time about  this  period :  — 

CASTLE  HILL,  August  4. 

"  MY  DEAR  DAUGHTER,  —  I  have  been  expecting 
Dr.  W.  [Dr.  Waterhouse]  here  this  very  day ;  but 
he  has  sent  me  word  he  shall  set  off  for  Boston  to- 
morrow morning  ;  has  been  so  hurried  that  he  has 
not  had  time  to  come  down  here. 

"  I  hope  he  will  be  kind  enough  to  take  this  let- 
ter and  seven  hundred  dollars,  which  is  all  your 
daddy  can  get  in  Providence  at  present ;  has  the 
promise  of  the  remainder  soon,  which  he  will  send 
as  soon  as  he  can  get  it. 

"  I  had  but  an  unpleasant  journey  home.  I  found 
them  well,  and  pleased  to  see  me  safe  returned, 
but  the  heat  of  the  weather  and  fatigue  of  the 
journey  took  a  good  deal  of  my  strength  away ; 
but  your  daddy  carried  me  up  to  Sam.  Collins,  and 
left  me  there  until  he  went  to  Providence;  and  I 
have  felt  much  better  since  I  returned.  I  hear 
nothing  of  Dr.  Mann,  nor  of  my  trunk.  Do  write 
soon,  for  I  am  anxious  to  hear  how  my  dear  little 


186  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

boy  and  all  of  you   are.     My  kind  love  to  the 
Doctor. 

"  I  am  your  loving  and  affectionate'  mamma, 

«  M.  C. 

"  All  the  family  join  in  love  to  you  and  the  Doc- 
tor. I  shall  send  the  tea  T.1  I  am  sorry  they  are 
broke." 

(Forw'd  by  Dr.  Waterhouse.) 

"  Sunday  Morning,  Five  o'clock. 

"  You  see,  my  dear,  I  rise  early,  but  have  no 
good  news  to  tell  you  this  morning. 

"  Our  expedition  has  hitherto  been  an  unfortu- 
nate one.  Colonel  Laurens  was  last  evening  sent 
down  to  the  fleet,  express.  A  protest  was  to  have 
been  issued  by  the  generals  against  their  leaving 
us.  But  the  Colonel  has  this  moment  returned, 
and  reports  that  they  have  already  sailed.  You  will 
therefore  have  the  pleasure,  if  there  can  be  any  in 
it,  of  seeing  them  at  Boston  very  soon.  It  is  un- 
certain what  steps  will  be  taken  by  the  generals 
in  consequence  of  this  extraordinary  course ;  but 
I  will  endeavor  to  let  you  know  as  soon  as  possible. 
Observe  that  as  I  found  myself  obliged  to  inclose 
this  in  consequence  of  having  wrote  on  three  sides 
before  I  was  aware  of  it,  you  have  one  half  sheet 
crowded  full.  When  I  write  to  you  I  know  not 
where  to  leave  off.  Perhaps  the  next  letter  I  write 
I  shall  have  the  pleasure  to  bring  and  present  my- 
self. However,  all  is  not  over  yet. 

a  I  am  yours  affectionately." 

1  Tea-things. 


778.]  MEDICAL   AFFAIRS   IN   THE   ARMY.  187 

The  Count  had  promised  to  return  after  giving 
his  men  time  for  a  brief  rest,  and  for  refitting  his 
ships  in  Boston  harbor.  But  the  army  finding 
themselves  deserted,  two  or  three  thousand  volun- 
teers left  their  camp  within  twenty-four  hours,  and 
the  remainder  continued  gradually  to  fall  off.  Thus 
this  well  concerted  and  promising  expedition  shared 
the  fate  which  has  befallen  so  many  others  in  which 
land  and  naval  forces  were  to  cooperate,  and  which 
must  depend  upon  the  judgment  and  unanimity  of 
the  commanders,  as  well  as  upon  the  favoring  con- 
dition of  wind  and  waves.  It  added  one  more  to 
the  instances  in  which  the  public  weal  and  mili- 
tary success  has  been  sacrificed  to  the  private  pique 
and  jealousy  of  commanders. 

A  letter  from  Dr.  Eustis,  who  was  at  Bedford,  Pa., 
on  the  twenty-sixth  of  August,  shows  shrewdness 
of  foresight  with  regard  to  the  result  of  this  expe- 
dition, and  gives  a  view  of  the  medical  affairs  of 
the  army  :  — 

"  DEAR  JACK,  —  The  medical  world  goes  rather 
drolly.  Dr.  Sam.  and  myself  are  stationed  at  this 
place,  with  between  three  and  four  hundred  pa- 
tients. Townsend  and  McCray,  with  the  heads  of 
'the  North  Department,  are  at  the  Quaker  meeting 
at  Harrison's  Purchase,  about  twelve  miles  below  us. 
Burnett  and  Cochran,  in  conjunction,  have  charge 
of  the  flying  hospital  in  camp.  Drs.  Shippen  and 
Cragie  are  in  camp,  and  have  favored  us  with  a 
visit. 

"  The  Departments  were  all  in  the  dark  until  Dr. 


188  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  25. 

Shippen  came.  He  has  made  arrangements,  and 
assigned  to  every  branch  their  respective  duties. 
Congress  have  resolved  that  no  new  appointments 
shall  be  made,  but  that  the  officers  of  the  other  de- 
partments be  called  in  to  the  assistance  of  this,  as 
occasion  may  require.  Dr.  Foster  furnishes  sup- 
plies, and  all  returns  are  made  to  him  as  before  Dr. 
Shippen  came.  Dr.  Turner  has  just  returned  from 
Congress  with  a  resolution  repealing  that  of  Feb- 
ruary ninth,  which  Dr.  Foster  procured  when  he 
was  there.  In  consequence  of  which  no  more  re- 
turns, I  imagine,  will  be  made  to  him. 

"  Thus  stand  our  affairs.  Dr.  Sam.  (Adams)  and 
myself  with  our  Aids  find  our  hands  full,  and,  for 
our  comfort,  expect  to  double  the  number  of  sick 
in  fourteen  days.  Still,  the  army  is  not  sickly  — 
is  in  good  spirits. 

"  Pray  how  goes  the  Secret  Expedition  ?  If 
Rhode  Island  is  ours,  without  many  bloody  noses, 
I  mistake  little  Pigot's  character.  We  have  infor- 
mation here  that  the  French  fleet  has  returned 
much  shattered,  and  one  Seventy-four  missing. 
You,  doubtless,  will  be  kind  enough  to  let  me 
know  if  it  be  true. 

"  Business  calls  me  off.  You  will  therefore  ac- 
cept my  best  wishes  for  your  felicity.  Make  my 
compliments  to  Mrs.  Warren  and  the  family.  Al- 
low me  to  congratulate  you  on  the  pleasing  addi- 
tion made  to  your  house,  and  receive  a  friendly 
adieu." 

Dr.  Turner,  who  is  spoken  of  here,  was  a  cele- 
brated surgeon  from  Connecticut,  who  was  ap- 


1778.]  RETURNS    TO    BOSTON.  189 

pointed  assistant  surgeon,  in  1759,  to  a  regiment 
under  General  Amlierst  at  Ticonderoga.  There 
he  attracted  the  attention  of  the  English  surgeons, 
who  invited  him  to  witness  their  operations.  In 
1777  he  was  appointed  by  Congress  Director- 
general,  but  on  reconsideration  of  their  vote,  Dr. 
Shippen  was  appointed  Director-general,  and  Dr. 
Turner  Surgeon-general  to  the  Northern  Depart- 
ment. 

My  father  returned  to  his  hospital  duties  and 
his  family  in  Boston.  The  first-born  son  received 
the  name  of  his  grandfather,-  John  Collins  ;  and  at 
one  time  was  the  intended  successor,  more  Anglice, 
to  his  estate  of  Castle  Hill  Farm. 

The  affection  of  the  breasts  in  my  mother's  case, 
must  have  proved  more  serious  than  was  first  sup- 
posed, for  she  was  never  able  to  nurse  her  children. 
The  narrow  state  of  their  finances  prevented  their 
having  a  nurse  in  the  house,  and  so  each  child 
that  annually  arrived  was  put  out  to  nurse.  How 
far  this  was  the  custom  of  the  time,  I  am  not 
aware.  It  was  a  very  common  one  in  the  higher 
classes  in  England. 

Sir  Walter  Scott  makes  George  Kobertson  attrib- 
ute his  own  vices  —  which  were  strangers  to  his 
family  —  to  the  source  from  which  he  drew  his 
milk,  the  hag  Murdockson.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that 
evil  cannot  be  transmitted  in  this  way ;  but  there 
is  reason  enough  to  believe  that  a  permanent  im- 
pression may  be  made  on  the  character  even  in  the 
first  months  of  life ;  and  that  an  infant  subjected 
to  harsh  treatment,  may  become  timid  or  passionate 


190  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

according  to  circumstances.  It  may  be  questioned, 
also,  whether  the  love  of  the  mother  to  the  child 
who  draws  its  nourishment  from  her  breast  is  ever 
equaled  under  other  circumstances.  It  is  earlier 
called  forth,  is  more  demonstrative,  and  reciprocally 
excites  a  greater  return. 

Ardently  attached  as  Dr.  Warren  was  to  his  wife, 
and  almost  morbid  in  his  apprehensions  of  any  in- 
jury to  her,  he  vigijantly  guarded  her  from  any 
approach  of  pain  or  disorder;  but  he  must  have 
deeply  regretted  the  necessity  of  this  course ;  and 
at  this  time,  as  on  all  subsequent  occasions,  took 
measures  to  secure  the  most  faithful  nurses.  That 
they  sometimes  did  prove  otherwise,  was  only  in 
accordance  with  the  natural  course  of  human  af- 
fairs. 

The  arrival  of  the  French  fleet  at  Boston  gave 
Dr.  Warren  an  opportunity  of  becoming  acquainted 
with,  and  cultivating  the  society  of  distinguished 
foreigners,  both  of  the  military  and  medical  profes- 
sions. Thus,  though  he  had  not  enjoyed  the  ad- . 
vantages  of  a 'foreign  medical  education,  and  though 
he  had  not  been  to  Europe,  Europe  may  be  said  to 
have  come  to  him. 

Loving  his  profession  as  a  science,  and  regard- 
ing it  in  a  higher  light  as  the  means  of  relieving 
pain  and  suffering,  —  possessed  also,  as  Dr.  Jack- 
son and  others  have  described  him,  of  wonderful 
quickness  of  apprehension,  —  he  neglected  no  op- 
portunity of  improvement. 

He  had  learned  the  Dutch  language  when  he 
thought  of  establishing  himself  in  Surinam.  How 


1 778.1  USE   OF   LATIN.  191 

far  he  ever  found  it  of  practical  advantage  I  do 
not  know ;  nor  am  I  aware  of  what  proficiency  he 
ever  acquired  in  French,  as  he  never  made  any 
parade  of  his  acquirements ;  his  modesty  induced 
him  to  conceal  them.  He  found  instances,  how- 
ever, where  his  familiarity  with  the  Latin  language 
was  of  great  advantage,  and  afforded  him  the  only 
means  of  communication  with  medical  foreigners, 
—  a  fact  which  proves  the  greater  proficiency  of 
the  profession  in  the  ancient  languages  in  those 
days.  Medical  theses  and  treatises  were  written 
in  Latin ;  Hippocrates,  Celsus,  Sydenham,  the 
highest  authorities,  were  in  Greek  or  Latin,  and  it 
was  necessary  to  peruse  or  at  least  refer  to  them 
in  the  original. 

Above  all,  at  this  time  the  patriots  of  the  coun- 
try studied  deeply  the  historians  of  Greece  and 
Eome  in  the  original,  to  benefit  by  their  instruc- 
tion and  example  in  forming  the  new  republic. 
My  father's  Fourth  of  July  oration  shows  a  great 
familiarity  with  the  ancient  tongues,  and  abun- 
dance of  research. 

Nous  avons  chang&  tout  cela.  It  is  not  now 
thought  necessary  to  look  back  into  history  for  in- 
struction as  to  the  present ;  or  to  study  the  older 
writers  for  scientific  information.  In  this  age  of 
the  steam-engine  and  electric  telegraph,  every 
American,  like  Minerva,  leaps  into  the  world  a  full 
fledged  politician,  and  with  a  full  knowledge  of  all 
the  arts  and  sciences. 

Among  those  who  most  frequently  visited  my 
father,  was  Major  Louis  Baury  de  Bellerive,  who 


192  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

came  from  St.  Domingo,  and  was  one  of  the  French 
officers  who  offered  their  services  to  our  army. 

I  cannot  say  whether  it  was  about  this  period 
or  subsequently,  that  Dr.  Warren  treated  one  of 
these  French  gentlemen,  or  French  West  Indians, 
to  the  pleasure  of  a  sleigh-ride.  This  gentleman 
had  never  seen  any  sleighing,  but  had  formed  a 
high  anticipation  of  it  from  report.  The  snows  were 
very  deep  in  those  days.  My  father  always  drove 
very  fast,  and  probably  becoming  engrossed  in 
conversation,  or  willing  to  exhibit  some  of  the  pe- 
culiarities of  that  species  of  locomotion,  —  for  it 
was  the  age  of  practical  jokes,  —  the  excursion  to 
Jamaica  Plain  was  a  series  of  overturns  into  the 
deep  snow-drifts.  The  French  gentleman  con- 
fessed, that  if  that  was  what  is  called  sleighing,  he 
could  not  discern  its  beauties. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

1778-1780. 

Deplorable  State  of  Finances.  —  Prices.  —  Destitution  at  the  Hospi- 
tal. —  Letter  to  Samuel  Adams.  —  Loss  of  a  Daughter  born  in  July. 
•  —  Threatening  Petition  to  Congress.  —  Dr.  Townsend's  Letter.  — 
Reply  to  Petitions.  —  Petition  to  Massachusetts  Legislature.  —  Let- 
ter to  T.  Pickering.  —  Sermon  to  the  Soldiers.  —  Communication 
for  the  Press.  —  Dark  Day.  —  Convention  for  a  State  Constitution. 


state  of  American  finances  had  now  become 
deplorable.  Writing  in  October,  1778,  Mrs. 
Adams  says  :  "  Our  money  is  little  better  than 
blank  paper.  It  takes  forty  dollars  to  purchase  a 
barrel  of  cider  ;  fifty  pounds  lawful  for  a  hundred 
of  sugar,  and  fifty  dollars  for  a  hundred  of  flour  ; 
four  dollars  per  day  for  a  laborer  and  find  him, 
which  will  amount  to  four  more." 

These  difficulties  seriously  affected  the  hospital 
supplies,  and  Dr.  Warren  could  not  composedly  see 
the  sick  under  his  charge  suffering  from  the  want 
of  necessities.  He  repeatedly  applied  to  Congress 
and  to  the  Massachusetts  Legislature,  on  whom  first 
devolved  the  duty  of  making  proper  provision. 
The  following  address  to  the  Executive  gives  a 
glowing  picture  of  the  condition  of  the  Hospital. 

"  To  Jus  Excellency  the  Governor  and  the  Honorable  the  Council  of 
the  Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts  :  — 

"  GENTLEMEN,  —  Though  I  have  frequently  rep- 
is 


194  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  25. 

resented  the  distressed  condition  of  the  sick  in  the 
Continental  Hospital,  yet  I  have  never  had  so 
ample  occasion  to  deplore  their  miseries  as  at 
present. 

"  For  some  days  they  have  not  had  an  ounce  of 
meat;  not  a  stick  of  wood  but  what  they  have 
taken  from  the  neighboring  fences ;  for  near  a 
week  not  a  vegetable ;  and  scarcely  any  medicine 
for  above  a  year.  In  fine,  to  sum  up  the  whole  in 
a  few  words,  the  sick  and  wounded,  many  of 
which  are.  exceedingly  dangerous,  and  some  of 
them  in  a  state  which  requires  immediate  amputa- 
tion, are  not  furnished  by  the  public  with  a  sin- 
gle article  of  sustenance  except  bread  alone,  and 
must  have  perished  ere  this  had  not  the  charitable 
donations  of  a  few  individuals  in  some  measure 
contributed  to  their  relief. 

"  I  have  been  incessantly  making  application  for 
these  last  twelve  months  to  all  the  departments 
for  supplies,  but  cannot  procure  any.  During 
which  time  the  groans  of  the  sick  and  wounded, 
suffering,  and  perhaps  dying,  for  want  of  necessities, 
have  been  perpetually  saluting  my  ears.  I  must, 
therefore,  beg  your  Excellency  and  Honors'  action 
in  this  matter,  and  am  with  the  greatest  respect, 
gentlemen, 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant, 

«J.  WARREN." 

"  At  the  opening  of  the  new  year,"  says  Barry, 
"  the  situation  of  affairs  was  discouraging  and 
gloomy.  The  country  was  heavily  burdened  with 


1779.]  DIFFICULTY    OF   RAISING    MONEY.  195 

debt ;  soldiers  and  their  families  were  subjected 
to  incredible  hardships  and  sufferings."  Clergy- 
men's salaries  were  reduced  by  the  depreciation  of 
the  paper  money  ;  lukewarm  patriots  —  all  those 
who  follow  the  tide  of  success  and  are  unreason- 
able and  complaining  upon  every  reverse — were 
grumbling  and  discontented. 

An  advance  of  two  million  from  Massachusetts, 
was  called  for,  to  be  raised  by  direct  taxation. 
Two  thousand  men  additional  were  to  be  recruited 
from  the  army. 

In  a  war  carried  on  expressly  for  the  purpose  of 
opposing  an  assumed  right  of  taxation,  it  may  be 
readily  understood  how  difficult  it  must  be  to  in- 
duce the  masses  to  consent  to  be  taxed ;  and  with 
what  jealousy  the  power  of  levying  money  would 
be  watched.  In  the  first  outbursts  of  enthusiasm, 
men  are  carried  away  by  the  popular  fervor,  and 
dare  not  hold  back  if  they  would.  But  there  al- 
ways are  a  large  class  who,  perhaps,  commencing 
with  good  motives,  soon  begin  to  seek  their  own 
profit,  and  grudge  every  cent  they  spend  in  the 
popular  cause.  Many  of  them  have  mixed  mo- 
tives. Others  care  only  for  themselves,  or  at  fur- 
thest their  families.  They  are  always  ready  to 
dam|>  the  ardor  of  the  timid  and  doubtful.  The 
Government  and  the  Legislature  doubtless  did  the 

<— '  i 

best  they  could  to  remedy  the  difficulties,  but  ex- 
cessive economy  was  required. 

On  the  thirteenth  of  February,  Dr.  Warren  writes 
to  Samuel  Adams :  — 


196  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  26. 

"  DEAR  SIR, —  New  arrangements  of  the  Medical 
Department  have  been  much  talked  of  here. 

"As  I  suppose  the  expediency  of  adopting  a  new 
system  will  shortly  be  agitated  in  Congress,  you 
will  excuse  the  freedom  I  take  in  mentioning  by 
way  of  memento  the  state  of  affairs  in  our  district. 
Really  if  any  merit  is  due  to  those  who  have  by 
their  early  exertions  in  the  public  cause,  while  the 
army  was  in  a  chaotic  state,  —  by  the  dangers  to 
which  they  have  in  the  exertion  of  their  duty  been 
exposed,  by  their  perseverance  in  times  of  im- 
pending- darkness  and  real  distress,  by  their  pa- 
tient endurance  of  all  the  hardships  attendant  upon 
the  retreat  of  an  unsuccessful  army,  by  exposing 
themselves  to  the  most  infectious  diseases,  by 
which,  I  believe,  without  a  single  exception  they 
have  all  been  brought  to  the  gates  of  the  grave,  — 
evinced  their  zeal ;  surely  Congress  will  not  longer 
neglect  the  poor  surgeons  of  the  Eastern  Depart- 
ment. 

"  Gentlemen  who  are  near  Congress  are  extreme- 
ly artful  and  assiduous  in  promoting  the  interests 
of  »themselves  and  dependants,  but  surely  Congress 
will  not  suffer  themselves  to  be  so  imposed  upon 
by  the  designing  artifices  of  interested  men,  as  to 
listen  to  every  proposal  of  theirs,  whilst  those 
who  cannot  be  personally  heard  are  winked  out  of 
sight,  or  forgot.  We  rely  on  the  wisdom  and  jus- 
tice of  Congress,  and  particularly  on  your  exer- 
tions in  our  behalf.  The  Southern  gentlemen  in 
the  medical  line  have  been  much  attended  to  by 
Congress,  but  I  doubt  not  by  your  representation 


1779.]  APPLICATION    TO    CONGRESS.  197 

ample  justice  will  be  done  to  the  old,  and  I  hope 
faithful  servants  of  the  public,  in  the  Eastern  De- 
partment. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  with  the  greatest  respect, 
"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  JOHN  WARREN." 

Frequent  losses  among  medical  men  prove  that 
they  are  not  exempt  from  the  dangers  of  death, 
wounds,  and  captivity  in  battle  ;  but  these  are  by  no 
means  their  worst  dangers.  The  daily  attendance, 
in  a  crowded  hospital,  filled  often  with  putrid  and 
infectious  disease,  involved  equal  danger,  unaccom- 
panied with  the  excitement  of  battle. 

That  my  father  barely  escaped  with  life  after  a 
dangerous  illness,  has  been  already  shown.  It  has 
been  seen,  also,  that  the  medical  staff  were  some- 
times forgotten  in  a  retreat,  and  left  to  escape  as 
they  could. 

A  severe  disappointment  occurred  to  my  father 
this  year,  in  the  loss  of  a  second  child,  a  daughter, 
born  in  July.  It  lived  only  a  few  hours. 

The  depreciation  of  the  Continental  paper  money 
had  produced  great  suffering  among  the  officers  of 
the  army.  Forty  pounds  of  paper  money  had  be- 
come equivalent  to  only  one  of  silver,  and  were 
not  readily  taken  at  that  rate.  Many  were  forced 
to  resign,  and  the  absolute  necessity  of  making 
some  arrangement  to  keep  the  troops  together, 
compelled  Congress  to  resolve  that  all  officers  of 
the  line  who  should  continue  in  service  to  the  end 
of  the  war,  should  be  entitled  to  half  pay  during 


198  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  26. 

life  ;  the  depreciation  of  the  paper  money  be  made 
good,  and  that  they  should  receive  a  number  of 
acres  of  land  in  proportion  to  their  rank  at  the 
close  of  the  war. 

The  medical  staff  were  not  included  in  this  ar- 
rangement, and  considered  themselves  treated  with 
great  injustice.  An  application  was  made  to  Con- 
gress, and  a  petition  drawn  up  and  subscribed  on 
the  5th  of  October,  to  call  the  attention  of  Con- 
gress to  the  affairs  of  the  Medical  Department,  and 
require  that  in  a  limited  time  they  should  come  to 
a  definite- resolution  thereon. 

At  the  same  time  an  agreement  was  drawn  up 
and  signed  by  the  medical  officers  or  part  of  them, 
to  the  following  purport :  — 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  officers  of  the  Medical 
Department  in  the  army  of  the  United  States, 
do  hereby  mutually  engage  our  honor,  each  to  one 
another,  that  we  do  join  with  the  other  members 
of  that  department,  in  a  petition  to  Congress 
which  we  have  subscribed,  bearing  date  October 
5,  1779,  the  purport  of  which  is  to  call  the  at- 
tention of  Congress  to  our  affairs,  and  require  that 
in  a  limited  time  they  shall  come  to  some  defi- 
nite resolution  thereon ;  and  we  do  mutually  and 
severally  engage  to  one  another,  that  unless  the 
terms  of  the  petition  which  we  have  subscribed 
are  complied  with  by  Congress  before  the  first 
day  of  January  next  (1780),  we  will,  on  that  day, 
resign  our  several  appointments  in  said  medical 
department,  and  will  not  again  serve  or  do  any 


1780.]  DR.  TOWNSEND'S  LETTER.  199 

part  of  the  duty  of  that  department,  on  any  con- 
sideration or  pretence  whatever,  until  Congress 
shall  have  paid  a  satisfactory  attention  to  said 
petition,  by  declaring  explicitly  what  shall  be  the 
arrangement  of  that  department,  and  what  shall 
thereafter  be  the  emolument  and  recompense  to 
be  granted  and  allowed  to  the  several  officers 
thereof,  and  until  such  definite  resolution  of  Cpn- 
gress  be  made  public.  In  witness  of  which  en- 
gagement, we  hereto  set  our  names." 

This  agreement  appears  to  be  in  the  handwrit- 
ing of  Dr.  Eustis,  and  was  signed  by  W.  Browne 
and  himself.  It  is  most  likely  that  the  milder 
counsels  of  my  father  prevailed,  and  that  the  paper 
was  allowed  to  remain  in  his  possession  without 
further  signatures. 

Dr.  Townsend  writes  March  25th,  from  Albany :  — 

"  DEAR  JACK,  —  Dr.  Willard  gave  me  your  letter 
of  the  24th  of  February.  I  must  confess  I  was 
almost  sorry  to  see  him,  because  I  feared  the  ad- 
vantage he  might  gain  by  the  change  of  situation 
would  be  in  no  measure  adequate  to  his  expecta- 
tions. He  is  allowed  every  support  that  our  hos- 
pital will  afford.  I  wish  it  was  greater. 

"  I  have  talked  with  him  freely  on  the  subject, 
and  I  believe  he  will  make  out  tolerably  for  the 
present.  I  think  time  will  better  his  situation.  He 
is  convinced  that  the  gentlemen  of  the  department 
all  will  do  everything  in  their  power  to  make  him 
happy.  I  shall  ever  feel  myself  interested  for  him. 

"  You  ask  a  question  concerning  medical  matters 


200  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

which  I  do  not  know  well  how  to  answer.  I  cant 
be  pleased  with  a  beneficence  of  Congress  which  I  never 
felt ;  their  resolves  will  not  clothe  me  but  with  pa- 
per ;  a  very  unfashionable  dress  in  a  Northern  cli- 
mate. 

"  I  often  seriously  think  upon  the  subject  of 
our  situation,  and  the  change  I,  as  an  individual, 
might  make  by  resigning,  but  I  have  not  made  up 
my  mind.  You  are  doubtless  sensible  that  with 
me  there  are  many  considerations,  but  none  to 
render  my  present  state  eligible. 

"  Johnston  has  been  a  long  while  at  Philadel- 
phia upon  business.  When  he  returns  I  may  be 
determined.  But  I  have  almost  filled  the  compass 
of  my  letter  without  mentioning  a  matter,  the  busi- 
ness of  this  opportunity. 

"Do  you  suppose  that  our  State  will  be  so  par- 
tially unjust  as  to  neglect  the  Medical  Department 
in  all  their  gratuitous  considerations ;  or  rather  in 
their  attempts  to  make  good  what  is  already  due 
to  the  army?  I  have  been  told  that  they  will 
have  a  further  application  this  sitting.  The  Legis- 
lature of  New  York  have  been  sitting  at  this  place 
this  winter.  Among  others,  they  have  passed  an 
act  for  clothing  their  part  of  our  army.  It  may  be 
of  use  as  a  precedent  I  obtained  the  inclosed 
copy  of  an  extract  from  it  of  one  of  the  members, 
by  which  you  will  see  that  gentlemen  do  not  for- 
feit the  benevolence  of  their  State  by -belonging  to 
the  General  Hospital.  Adieu.  D.  TOWNSEND." 

The  following  reply  to  the  petition  of  the  sur- 


1780.]  REPLY   TO    PETITIONS.  201 

geons,  is  dated  Philadelphia,  May  2d,  and  directed 
to  Mr.  Thomas  Carries. 


"  SIR.  —  Your  letter  by  Dr.  Enstis  was  safely  de- 
livered to  me  with  the  inclosures.  I  presented 
your  petition  to  Congress,  and  am  sorry  to  inform 
you  that  they  have  taken  no  order  thereon.  Sev- 
eral gentlemen  gave  it  as  their  opinion  that  your 
application  should  have  been  made  to  the  State  of 
Massachusetts.  I  moved  to  have  it  referred  to  the 
Council  of  said  State ;  but  it  was  thought  unneces- 
sary, as  you  would  be  informed  without  a  particu- 
lar reference  to  Congress.  Indeed,  I  think  it  not 
likely  that  they  will  take  any  order  respecting  the 
same. 

"  I  am  sorry  for  your  misfortune,  and  that  I  have 
not  been  able  to  afford  you  any  relief.  I  am  your 
most  obedient  servant,  S.  HOLTON." 

A  petition  to  the  Legislature  of  Massachusetts 
was  therefore  resolved  upon,  and  it  was  prepared 
by  Dr.  Warren  as  follows  :  — 

"  To  the  Honorable  the  Council  and  the  House  of  Representatives  of 
the  State  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  New  England,  in  General  Court  as- 
sembled :  — 

"  The  petition  and  remonstrance  of  the  officers 
on  the  Staff  belonging  to  the  State,  and  employed 
in  the  several  departments  thereof,  in  behalf  of 
themselves  and  those  serving  under  them,  humbly 
showeth :  — 

"  That  your  petitioners  did  in  the  last  session  of 


202  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  27. 

your  Honorable  Court,  prefer  a  petition  setting 
forth  the  many  hardships  and  inconveniences  un- 
der which  they  labored  from  the  most  enormous 
depreciation  of  the  currency,  and  the  consequent 
diminution  of  their  pay  granted  them  for  tljeir 
public  services;  from  all  which  grievances  they 
humbly  requested  relief,  and  prayed  to  be  admitted' 
to  all  the  benefits  and  advantages  so  justly  and  so 
wisely  allowed  to  the  officers  of  the  line ;  but  to 
our  inexpressible  mortification  did  we  learn  that 
after  an  almost  unanimous  resolve  had  passed 
the  House  in  our  favor,  the  Honorable  Board,  for 
want  of  a  conviction  of  the  reasonableness  of  our 
petition,  thought  fit  to  reject  it  with  their  non-con- 
currence. 

"  Nothing,  gentlemen,  but  a  thorough  conscious- 
ness of  the  justice  of  their  claim,  and  the  fullest 
confidence  which  they  repose  in  the  candor  of  the 
two  houses,  as  well  as  their  approved  disposition 
to  distribute  the  most  equal  justice  through  every 
branch  of  public  administration,  could  have  in- 
duced your  petitioners  again  to  have  called  your 
attention  to  their  most  intolerable  sufferings,  and 
to  distresses  which  it  is  in  the  power  of  your  Hon- 
ors only  to  remove.  Permit  us,  gentlemen,  hum- 
bly to  represent :  — 

"  That  from  the  depreciation'  of  the  money,  your 
petitioners  are  at  least  as  great,  if  not  much  greater 
sufferers  than  the  officers  of  the  line.  For  the 
support  of  this  position,  your  Honors'  own  experi- 
ence, in  this  town  especially,  of  the  enormous  prices 
of  the  necessaries  of  life,  are  a  sufficient  testimony, 


1780.]  PETITION    TO    THE   LEGISLATURE.  203 

and  the  necessary  expenses  of  living  attending  the 
Staff  in  this  State,  are  most  incontestably  much 
gre'ater  than  those  of  the  line  in  Camp. 

"  Secondly,  That  being  stationed  out  of  Camp, 
and  considered  as  inhabitants  of  their  places  of 
abode,  your  petitioners  are  subjected  to  taxation 
of  personal  estate  and  faculty,  which  alone  is  suf- 
ficient to  swallow,  up  nearly  the  whole  of  our  pres- 
ent pay,  and  from  which  the  line  are  exempt. 

"  Thirdly,  that  the  allowance  made  for  their  sub- 
sistence, has  not  generally  been  nine  tenths  so 
much  as  the  officers  of  the  line. 

"  Fourthly,  Your  petitioners  would  observe,  that, 
as  their  whole  time  is  employed  in  the  duties  of 
their  respective  departments,  and  their  concerns 
are  allowedly  more  extensive  and  perplexing  than 
those  of  the  line,  the  nature  of  their  services 
richly  entitles  them  to  an  adequate  compensation. 

"  But  Fifthly,  to  make  use  of  an  argument 
which  your  petitioners  are  persuaded  will  weigh 
more  in  the  minds  of  your  Honors,  than  every 
other  reason  .here  offered,  permit  them  to  ob- 
serve that  the  stipulation  upon  which  they  entered 
the  service,  and  have  hitherto  continued  in  it,  upon 
the  principle  of  equity,  demands  some  considera- 
tion for  the  depreciation  of  the  currency  by  which 
we  have  been  so  great  sufferers  ;  and  we  need  but 
hint  to  your  Honors,  that  in  the  eye  of  justice  the 
laborer  is  equally  deprived  of  his  hire,  whether  the 
compact  by  which  his  reward  stipulated  be  in- 
fringed by  witholding  the  nominal  sum,  or  by 
paying  it  at  a  diminished  value.  He  is  in  both  cases 


204  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AcE  27. 

equally  deprived  of  a  real  compensation  for  his 
labor,  and  must  in  proportion  thereto  be  consid- 
ered as  imposed  upon. 

"Your  petitioners  would, moreover,  in  justice  to 
themselves  observe,  notwithstanding  the  tempta- 
tions of  gain  on  one  side,  and  the  threats  of  pov- 
erty and  distress  to  their  families  on  the  other,  they 
trust  no  instance  can  be  adduced  of  fraud  or  neg- 
lect in  the  Staff  in  this  State.  No  superior  advan- 
tages sufficient  by  any  means  to  compensate  for 
their  inconveniences,  do  the  Staff  of  this  State  en- 
joy from  the  places  of  their  stations.  As  to  risk  of 
life,  some  of  them  have  been,  and  some  still  are, 
more  exposed  than  if  in  the  camp  or  in  the  field ; 
and  to  the  others,  life  itself  is  not  worth  possess- 
ing under  their  present  hardships. 

"  Your  petitioners,  confiding  in  the  wisdom  and 
integrity  of  your  Honors,  and  the  manifest  injus- 
tice of  their  being  made  the  only  sufferers  from 
depreciation  in  the  whole  army,  nay,  indeed,  they 
may  almost  say  in  the  whole  community,  doubted 
not  but  that  your  Honors  would  be  induced  to 
put  them  upon  the  same  establishment  with  the 
line,  or  grant  such  other  relief  as  your  Honors 
shall  decide." 

My  father's  keen  sensibility  in  regard  to  suffer- 
ing or  injustice,  whether  endured  by  others  or 
by  himself,  as  well  as  other  qualifications,  seem  to 
have  occasioned  his  being  frequently  intrusted 
with  the  duty  of  representing  to  Government  the 
abuses  which  called  for  redress. 


1780.]  LETTER   TO    MR.    PICKERING.  .      205 

His  family  circumstances,  indeed,  obliged  him 
to  take  an  ardent  interest  in  the  present  matter, 
and  the  welfare  of  his  medical  brethren,  as  well  as 
that  of  his  hospital  patients,  stimulated  his  endeav- 
ors to  obtain  proper  measures  from  the  authorities. 
Various  other  matters  besides  those  of  a  pecuniary 
nature,  required  attention.  The  new  hospital  ar- 
rangements were  immature,  and  the  duties  of  the 
surgeons  ill-defined. 

On  the  eighth  of  May,  1780,  he  addressed  the 
following  letter  to  the  Hon.  Timothy  Pickering:  — 

BOSTON,  May  8th,  1780. 

"DEAR  SIR, — My  past  experience  of  your  friend- 
ship and  readiness  to  oblige,  has  given  birth  to 
my  present  application  for  the  interposition  of 
your  influence.  In  the  first  place,  to  obtain  an 
explanation  of  some  matters  connected  with  the 
line  of  my  duty  as  senior  physician  and  surgeon 
of  the  General  Hospital  in  this  place ;  for  want  of 
which  I  have  been  much  embarrassed,  and  per- 
haps in  some  degree  have  incurred  a  share  of  cen- 
sure. 

"The  hospital  of  which  I  have  the  care  is  a 
general  one,  and  has  hitherto  received  the  sick  of 
this  garrison,  corps  of  invalids,  regiment  of  the 
train,  vagrant  sick  of  all  the  eastern  troops,  sick 
of  the  new  recruits,  and  all  Continental  prisoners, 
which  have  in  general  pretty  well  filled  the  build- 
ipg  appropriated  for  their  reception  ;  and  together 
with  my  attendance  on  out-patients  of  the  several 
corps  and  Staff  of  this  station,  have  kept  me  con- 


206  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  27. 

stantly  employed.  All  such  sick  of  the  Conti- 
nental Navy,  as  were  offered,  were  also  received  ; 
but  much  the  greater  part  of  them  have  been 
placed  under  the  care  of  a  private  physician,  and 
special  charges  made  therefor.  I  ever  thought 
this  mode  inconsistent  with  the  system  of  econ- 
omy recommended  by  Congress,  and  accordingly 
made  application  for  having  them  sent  to  the  Gen- 
eral Hospital ;  but  was"  answered  that  they  were 
not  to  be  taken  care  of  there.  Notwithstanding 
this,  by  intelligence  received  from  Philadelphia  a 
few  days  since,  I  find  that  it  has  been  mentioned 
in  Congress,  as  an  article  of  complaint  against  the 
General  Hospital,  that  Continental  naval  sick  or  the 
naval  prisoners  had  been  suffered  to  be  attended  by 
a  private  physician ;  at  which  great  surprise  was 
expressed,  as  though  Congress  were  not  knowing 
to  the  mode  adopted  for  the  care  of  those  sick.  I 
ever  wished  to  escape  censure  by  conforming  to 
the  line  of  my  duty,  and  therefore  wrote  to  Mr. 
Gerry  and  Dr.  Holton  the  state  of  facts  as  here 
related,  with  a  request  for  an  explanation,  as  there 
are  now  many  marine  sick  in  this  town,  I  believe 
amounting  to  near  a  hundred  (naval  prisoners  who 
are  of  late  taken  care  of  in  the  same  way  included), 
attended  by  a  private  physician.  I  conceive  it  my 
duty  to  request  an  explicit  order,  relative  to  the 
-matter,  as  soon  as  possible  ;  I  therefore  beg  your 
attention  to  the  obtaining  of  an  order  from  Con- 
gress, or  the  Honorable  Board  of  Admiralty,  ascer- 
taining whether  the  sick  of  the  Continental  Navy 
and  their  prisoners  shall  in  future  be  attended  at 


1780.]  LETTER   TO. MR.   PICKERING.  207 

the  public  expense  by  a  private  physician,  at  special 
charge,  or  received  into  the  Continental  General 
Established  Hospital. 

"  The  secondary  object  of  my  letter  is  founded 
upon  information  that  certain  new  arrangements 
are  like  shortly  to  take  place  in  the  Medical  De- 
partment. As  I  know  claims  are  necessary  in 
these  cases,  I  doubt  not  you  will  excuse  my  inform- 
ing you  that  I  am  the  oldest  senior  surgeon  on  the 
continent. 

"  You  well  remember  the  melancholy  occasion 
which  in  my  frenzy  of  zeal,  induced  me  to  enter 
the  public  service  soon  after  the  commencement 
of  hostilities  ;  the  sacrifice  of  a  promising  course 
of  business  I  cheerfully  made,  and  followed  the 
army  —  to  the  great  danger  of  my  life  as  can  easily 
be  evinced  —  through  all  its  vicissitudes  of  good 
and  ill  success,  till  ordered  to  this  post  to  attend 
the  hospital  here. 

"  I  mean  not  to  make  any  other  application,  but 
rest  assured  that  your  friendship  will  extend  to  the 
mention  of  such  facts  as  these,  either  to  Congress, 
or  any  committee  thereof,  with  whom  the  business 
of  the  new  arrangements  may  be  intrusted. 

"  I  am,  dear  sir,  with  compliments  to  your  lady 
and  sentiments  of  respect, 

"  Your  most  obedient  and  most  obliged 
humble  servant, 

"JOHN  WARREN." 

After  making  every  allowance  for  the  difficulty 
of  raising  money,  every  impartial  reader  or  thinker 


208  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

must  be  compelled  to  allow,  with  Washington  Irv- 
ing, that  Congress  were  exceeding  remiss  in  these 
matters. 

Washington  took  up  the  subject  very  earnestly, 
as  the  only  means  of  holding  the  army  together ; 
and  by  his  earnest  endeavors  he  prevailed  with 
Congress  to  pass  the  provisions  already  alluded  to, 
in  favor  of  officers  of  the  line.  Why  these  provis- 
ions should  have  been  confined  to  this  portion 
only,  is  not  intelligible,  unless  they  thought  that  the 
fighting  men  were  the  only  ones  to  be  considered. 
But  the  injustice  of  paying  one  class  of  officers 
their  full  dues,  and  another  class  in  depreciated 
paper,  barely  worth  three  shillings  to  the  pound  — 
for  so  low  had  it  fallen  —  is  perfectly  obvious  to 
every  one. 

I  find  among  my  father's  papers  a  brief  manu- 
script sermon  upon  this  subject,  but  by  whom 
written  or  whether  it  was  ever  published  or  not,  I 
•am  unable  to  decide.  The  text  appears  to  be 
taken  from  Luke  iii.  14 :  "  And  the  soldiers  like- 
wise demanded  of  him,  —  saying,  And  what  shall 
we  do  ?  And  he  said  unto  them,  Do  violence  to 
no  man,  neither  accuse  any  falsely  ;  and  be  con- 
tent with  your  wages." 

"  These  are  the  words  of  John  the  Baptist,  that 
notable  harbinger  of  our  glorious  and  now  as- 
cended Redeemer,  Jesus  Christ.  When  John  first 
made  his  appearance  as  the  voice  of  one  crying  in 
the  wilderness,  according  to  ancient  prophecy,  he 
excited  the  curiosity  and  attention  of  many,  and 
being  taken  by  some  for  an  extraordinary  person- 


1780.]  DISCOURSE   TO    THE   SOLDIERS.  209 

age,  they  applied  to  him  for  counsel  and  advice, 
and  among  others,  it  seems  the  soldiers  asked 
what  they  should  do  ? 

"  The  characters  of  soldiers  of  this  day  do  not 
resemble  those  who  consulted  John ;  they  are  not 
inquiring  what  they  shall  do  to  be  saved.  It  is  a 
matter  of  no  importance  with  us ;  like  Felix,  we 
put  it  off  to  a  more  convenient  season.  Let  us 
consider  the  answer  which  the  inspired  John  gave 
to  their  questions.  '  Do  violence  to  no  man ; 
be  content  with  your  wages.'  By  the  word  '  vio- 
lence,' I  apprehend  that  we  are  not  to  understand 
that  they  ought  not  to  use  their  weapons  upon 
any  occasion  at  all.  If  this  were  the  case,  their 
very  calling  would  be  unnecessary,  and  the  caution 
needless.  But  by  violence,  I  conceive  that  we 
are  to  understand  all  injustice  or  fradulent  dealing 
with  our  fellow  men  of  all  ranks,  whether  militia- 
men, or  country  farmers,  etc.,  etc. 

"  If  I  were  worthy  to  inculcate  the  precept  of 
this  great  man,  I  would  entreat  of  my  fellow  soldiers 
to  consider  this  very  precept  as  directed  to  them- 
selves. It  is  with  reluctance  that  I  mention  the 
complaints  that  are  daily  made  by  our  fellow-citi- 
zens, of  the  disorder  and  ravages  of  our  soldiery ; 
and  when  I  hear  an  honest  peasant  complain  that 
his  garden  has  been  robbed  or  his  pockets  picked,  I 
blush  to  own  that  I  am  a  soldier,  as  I  must  necessa- 
rily share  in  the  stigma ;  and  because  I  belong  to 
such  or  such  a  corps  (who  are  so  full  of  sharpers  and 
jugglers),  lam  necessitated  to  take  rank  with  them, 
and  be  recorded  in  the  minds  of  my  countrymen 

14 


210  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

as  a  robber,  and  hardly  fit  to  be  crucified  with 
Barabbas.-  Perhaps,  some  soldier  will  say,  the 
countrymen  have  cheated  us.  It  is  granted — but 
does  it  hence  follow  that  we  have  a  right  to  cheat 
them  ?  Verily  no  ;  our  Lord  has  taught  us  not  to 
resist  evil,  but  to  overcome  evil  with  good,  and 
heap  coals  of  fire  upon  our  enemies'  heads.  This 
is  a  hard  lesson,  I  know,  to  those  who  harbor  a 
spirit  of  revenge  and  retaliation,  —  but  let  them 
consider  which  will  finally  be  best;  to  obey  the 
commands  of  God,  or  follow  the  dictates  of  their 
own  wicked  hearts. 

"  We  will  now  consider  the  other  caution  in  our 
text,  namely  :  '  Be  content  with  your  wages.'  This 
is  absurd,  some  will  say,  and  no  way  applicable  to 
the  present  times ;  for  silver  money,  say  they,  was 
then  current;  whereas  ours  is  paper,  and  has  de- 
preciated four  or  five  hundred,  or  four  or  five 
thousand  percent;  consequently  the  case  is  not 
parallel.  But  listen  a  moment.  All  moneys  owe 
their  value  to  a  decree  of  the  State,  country,  or 
government,  and  if  a  legislature  sees  fit  to  make 
oyster  shells  and  chips  a  lawful  tender,  they  ought 
to  be  esteemed  equivalent  to  silver  and  gold.  It 
is  true  that  gold,  silver,  and  other  metals  are  more 
valuable  than  paper,  or  many  other  substances ; 
and  they  are  perhaps  less  liable  to  counterfeits 
and  defacements ;  but  on  the  other  hand,  bills  of 
credit  are  portable,  with  less  inconvenience  than 
metal  coins.  For  one  man  may  carry  more  of  the 
former  in  his  pocket-book,  than  another  can  of  the 
latter  in  his  saddle  bags,  upon  an  able  horse. 


1780.1  DISCOURSE    TO    THE    SOLDIERS.  211 

"  But  ray  fellow  soldiers,  let  us  leave  these  specu- 
lations, and  come  to  the  point  in  hand.  We  are 
engaged  in  a  justifiable  war  :  a  war  of  self-defence. 
We  fight  not  for  the  bubble  honor,  nor  for  a  cock- 
ade and  feather,  but  for  our  natural  rights.  If  we 
get  no  pecuniary  satisfaction  for  our  toils,  fatigues, 
and  dangers,  we  are  still  better  off  than  if  we  had 
gained  millions  and  lost  our  native  soil. 

"  Here  I  can't  but  take  notice  of  what  I  call  a 
general  mistake  that  prevails  in  our  army,  namely : 
that  of  setting  up  an  opposite  interest  to  that  of 
the  country.  We  are  all  natives  of  the  soil  upon 
which  we  now  tread  ;  which  has  been  defended  at 
an  immense  expense,  and  with  the  loss  of  the  blood 
of  some  of  our  best  generals,  officers,  and  fellow 
soldiers.  Shall  we,  after  acquiring  such  immortal 
fame  in  the  field  of  war,  basely  fall  to  quarrelling 
among  ourselves,  and  not  only  become  the  derision 
and  the  laughing  stock  of  all  the  nations  upon  the 
globe,  but  expose  ourselves  to  more  barbarities 
from  the  savages  and  Hottentots  of  England  ? 

"  I  freely  acknowledge  that  the  army  have  with 
unparalleled  fortitude  faced  toils  and  dangers,  and 
all  the  horrors  of  war.  I  likewise  am  sensible 
that  while  we  were  in  the  field,  our  countrymen 
and  brethren  have  been  practicing  the  execrable 
arts  of  monopoly,  speculation,  oppression,  and  the 
whole  train  of  diabolical  frauds ;  and  what  is  the 
consequence  ?  They  with  a  little  of  our  assistance 
have  reduced  the  current  money  of  these  States 
(which  was  originally  equivalent  to  gold)  to  its 
primitive  nothing ;  or  in  other  words,  to  filthy  rags. 


212  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

And  what  must  be  done  ?  Shall  Congress  issue 
more  ?  No.  Shall  they  tax  more  ?  Yes,  says  the 
soldier.  No,  says  the  farmer.  While  such  frauds 
are  prevalent,  the  States  are  in  the  most  imminent 
danger. 

"  Let  us  then,  my  fellow-soldiers,  no  more  wor- 
ship gold,  the  god  of  the  world,  but  let  us  stead- 
fastly persevere  in  the  glorious  cause  in  which  we 
are  engaged  ;  humbly  trusting  in  the  God  of  armies 
that  He  will  finally  crown  us  with  the  laurels  of 
victory  and  triumph.  Finally,  let  us  cherish  a 
principle  of  love  and  forbearance  with  all  men.  In 
short,  let  us  act  like  good  soldiers  of  Jesus  Christ,  and 
good  soldiers  for  ourselves  and  country.  Let  us  do 
violence  to  no  man  —  be  content  with  our  wa«;es. 

O 

"  If  we  commence  a  war  with  the  Commonwealth, 
we  shall  expose  ourselves,  our  wives  and  children, 
and  the  community,  to  the  ravages  of  an  inhuman, 
merciless  enemy ;  in  short  we  shall  do  that  for  the 
royal  brute  of  England,  which  he  and  his  tools, 
pimps,  and  w — s,  would  willingly  do  for  us ;  namely, 
make  us  her  abject  slaves.  Let  us  then  subdue  the 
enemy  first,  and  after  that  it  is  time  enough  to  call 
the  country  to  an  account. 

"  You  know  it  is  in .  our  power  to  compel  the 
public  to  make  us  restitution,  if  they  will  not  do  it 
voluntarily.  God  grant  we  may  never  be  con- 
strained to  use  coercive  measures !  My  heart 
bleeds  for  my  country  while  I  behold  it  involved 
in  every  species  of  crimes,  but  I  still  entertain  a 
hope  that  for  the  sake  of  a  few,  a  very  few,  right- 
eous persons,  the  country  will  be  saved,  and  the 


1780.]     '  DISCOURSE   TO    THE   SOLDIERS.  213 

army  will  receive  ample  compensation  for  all  their 
toils,  fatigues,  and  dangers.  The  ornens  of  our 
final  success  crowd  in  so  fast  that  I  am  almost 
ready  to  speak  in  the  language  of  prophecy  :  '  Be 
faithful  unto  the  death  and  thou  shalt  receive '  not 
a  crown,  but  the  laurels  of  victory  and  triumph ; 
and  shalt  enjoy  peace  in  all  thy  borders,  as  a  fore- 
taste of  eternal  peace  and  happiness  in  the  realms 
of  immortal  bliss. 

"  But  if  you  persist  in  your  disposition  to  oppose 
the  country  by  deserting  its  service,  or  taking  up 
arms  against  it,  I  will  foretell  the  consequence  by 
a  fable  which  one  Agrippa  told  the  people  of  Rome 
in  one  of  their  civil  wars  :  — 

" '  Upon  a  time,  the  hands  and  belly  made  war 
with  each  other.  The  hands  complained  that  they 
did  all  the  drudgery,  while  the  belly  lay  idle,  and 
sleeping,  and  lounging.  The  belly  replied  laconi- 
cally (for  Monsieur  Paunch  is  not  very  talkative) 
that  he  supplied  the  hands  with  blood  and  animal 
spirits,  by  assisting  in  concoction  and  digestion. 
The  answer  did  not  please,  and  to  war  they  went. 
The  hands  refused  to  labor,  the  belly  to  grant  his 
usual  supplies,  and  both  starved  to  death.' 

"  The  moral  is  plain.  The  Commonwealth  is 
the  belly  or  guts ;  and  the  army  are  the  hands. 
If  we  proclaim  war,  we  shall  all  go  to  hell  to- 
gether." 

It  must  be  allowed  that  this  language  was  suf- 
ficiently plain  and  forcible.  Whether  it  was  as 
successful  with  the  army,  as  the  eloquence  of 


214  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

« 

Agrippawith  the  Roman  people,  I  cannot  say.  We 
know  from  history,  however,  that  the  earnestness 
and  influence  of  Washington  and  others  prevailed 
with  officers  and  soldiers  to  be  patient ;  and  that 
Congress  was,  in  fact,  compelled  to  do  them  justice. 
The  following  communication  on  the  same  sub- 
ject was  written  by  Dr.  Warren  for  the  press,  about 
this  time,  and  addressed  as  was  then  usual :  — 

"  To  THE  PRINTER,  —  The  degeneracy  of  the  age 
and  the  iniquity  of  the  times,  are  generally  assigned 
as  the  causes  of  those  calamities  with  which  a  peo- 
ple, or  a  community,  are  visited ;  and  the  messen- 
gers of  divine  wrath  to  a  nation  are  considered  as 
being  sent  in  judgment  for  some  hideous  and  epi- 
demic violation  of  the  laws  of  justice  to  our  fellow 
creatures ;  or  neglect  of  that  duty,  which  as  de- 
pendent creatures,  we  owe  to  the  Creator  of  the 
Universe. 

"  But  sorry  am  I  to  say,  that  the  guardians  of  the 
public  virtue  have  hitherto  in  my  opinion  been  to- 
tally defective  in  their  inquiry  into  such  causes. 

"That  the  miseries  attendant  on  the  times  should 
be  totally  imputed  to  the  misconduct  of  private  in- 
dividuals, whilst  examples  of  injustice  are  set  by 
higher  powers,  must  proceed  from  the  grossest 
cowardice,  or  the  grossest  partiality.  The  nature 
of  the  act  is  not  constituted  by  the  character  of 
the  agent,  and  fraud  in  an  exalted  station  is  as 
utterly  unpardonable,  as  in  the  meanest  subject. 

K  The  injustice  that  some  part  of  the  army  are 
daily  groaning  under,  from  that  indefensible  ad- 


1780.]  DARK    DAY.  215 

vantage  taken  of  the  depreciation  to  deprive  them 
at  least  of  forty-nine  fiftieths  of  their  just  due, 
nay,  indeed  of  the  compensation  stipulated,  though 
not  by  the  letter,  yet  by  the  spirit  of  the  compact, 
the  distresses  consequent  upon  this  direct  violation 
of  the  laws  of  rectitude,  whilst  no  appeal  is  to  be  had 
to  a  superior  power,  —  are  left  as  subjects  for  the 
application  of  the  preceding  observations,  for  the 
test  of  the  consciences  of  those  who  are  instrumen- 
tal in  the  fraud ;  and  I  think  may  be  held  as  an 
alarming  presage  of  future  misfortunes,  as  well  as 
the  procuring  causes  of  our  past  and  repeated  evils  ; 
for,  of  the  righteous,  God  loveth  righteousness ; 
and  if  there  is  a  God  that  judgeth  in  the  earth, 
surely  the  oppressor  shall  not  prosper ;  surely  the 
wicked  shall  not  go  unpunished. 

"  And,  as  the  accursed  thing  which,  like  that  in 
the  camp  of  the  Israelites,  calls  for  the  exertions 
of  every  individual  to  search  out  and  remove,  is 
it  not  the  duty  of  every  member  of  the  commu- 
nity to  seek  out  the  causes  of  our  evil,  and  remove 
the  authors  of  them  (like  the  accursed  thing  in 
the  camp  of  the  Israelites  )  ?  IMPAVIDUS." 

On  the  19th  of  May,  1780,  occurred  the  "  Dark 
Day  "  in  New  England ;  an  event  which  formed 
an  era  in  the  lives  of  all  who  witnessed  it,  and 
was  always  frequently  spoken  of  so  long  as  any  of 
that  generation  were  living;  while  some  who 
heard  it  spoken  of  when  they  were  children,  al- 
most believed  they  were  witnesses  of  it  themselves. 

In  180G,  there  was  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun,  in 


216  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [Acs  27. 

which  the  darkness  was  greater  in  this  neighbor- 
hood than  in  any  one  which  has  occurred  since,  so 
that  these  two  events  have  frequently  been  con- 
founded in  recollections  of  the  past. 

My  father  was  wont  to  describe  the  Dark  Day 
in  glowing  language.  He  described  the  utter 
darkness  —  the  cows  returning  from  their  pasture 
on  the  Common ;  birds  seeking  their  nocturnal 
resting  places ;  the  fowls  going  to  roost.  Can- 
dles were  lighted,  and  everything  bore  the  appear- 
ance of  night. 

To  the  superstitious,  it  might  well  have  ap- 
peared the  omen  of  a  visitation  of  wrath  for  the 
sins  of  the  land.  With  the  philosophical,  it 
formed  a  subject  for  serious  speculation,  and  there 
is  a  paper  in  the  "  Transactions  of  the  American 
Academy,"  discussing  its  causes. 

It  was  accounted  for  in  different  ways  ;  but  the 
smoke  of  vast  fires  burning  in  the  woods  of  Maine, 
seems  to  have  been  the  cause  generally  assigned, 
and  finally  acquiesced  in.  The  darkness  extended 
all  over  New  England  as  far  east  as  Falmouth,  and 
to  the  further  parts  of  Albany  and  Connecticut, 
all  along  the  seacoast,  as  far  as  settlements  ex- 
tended. 

Although  the  seat  of  actual  war  and  the  din  of 
battle  was  far  off,  this  year  was  by  no  means  an 
uneventful  one  to  the  subject  of  this  biography  or 
to  his  native  State.  Early  in  the  year,  the  conven- 
tion was  held  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of 
the  State  Constitution. 

Dr.  Warren's  name  does  not  appear  in  connec- 


1780.]  STATE    CONSTITUTION.  217 

tion  with  the  debates  attending  it,  but  there  is 
ample  proof  that  he  studied  the  subject  deeply, 
watched  the  discussion  with  jealous  interest,  and 
labored  both  with  tongue  and  pen  in  behalf  of 
every  measure  for  the  support  and  stability  of 
order  and  national  liberty. 

It  was  not,  however,  his  desire  to  make  himself 
prominent  as  a  politician.  He  ardently  desired  to 
witness  the  establishment  of  good  and-  permanent 
institutions ;  and  he  felt  it  his  duty  as  he  consid- 
ered it  that  of  every  true  citizen,  to  do  his  part  to 
the  utmost  of  his  ability,  towards  insuring  them. 
He  felt  an  intense  and  personal  interest  in  the 
welfare  of  his  country,  and  he  believed  that  a  man 
who  did  not  place  his  country's  good  as  his  high- 
est motive,  could  be  worthy  of  little  esteem.  But 
occupied  as  he  was,  and  loving  his  profession,  he 
did  not  wish  political  distinction  or  notoriety  of 
any  kind.  The  assistance  which  he  gave  was  in 
writing  for  the  public  papers,  in  private  consulta- 
tion with  the  prominent  politicians,  and  in  the 
general  expression  of  his  opinion  in  the  society  in 
which  he  was  thrown. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

1780. 
TREASON    OF   ARNOLD. 

Dr.  Eustis'  Letter.  —  Secret  Expedition.  —  Colonel  Nevers'  Letter.  — 
Boston  Medical  Society.  —  Dr.  Rand,  Dr.  Danfbrth,  Dr.  Kast,  and 
Dr.  Warren.  —  Dr.  Bulfinch.  —  Scrabble  for  Levi  Ames'  Body.  — 
Resuscitation  of  a  Convict.  —  Violation  of  the  Grave.  —  Washing- 
ton's Order. 


great  war  event  of  this  year  was  the  trea- 
son of  Arnold,  and  the  capture  and  execution 
of  Major  Andre. 

I  have  a  letter  from  Dr.  Eustis  written  October 
6th,  alluding  to  these  events.  He  was  established 
in  the  Military  Hospital  in  the  spacious  house  of 
Colonel  Robinson,  a  royalist,  who  had  entered  the 
service  of  the  British  army.  In  part  of  this  house, 
Arnold  held  his  headquarters. 

The  letter  is  more  sober  in  its  tone  than  Dr. 
Eustis'  usually  were.  The  startling  events  he  had 
witnessed  were  sufficient  cause.  He  was  present 
during  the  violent  paroxysms  of  Mrs.  Arnold,  when 
it  was  ascertained  that  her  husband  had  absconded, 
and  at  her  interview  with  Washington.  It  was  a 
scene  never  to  be  forgotten. 


o 


"  MY  DEAR  DOCTOR,  —  From   an   unaccountable 
aversion   to  writing,  I  have  troubled  my  friends 


1*80.]  LETTER   FROM   DR.   EUSTIS.  219 

I 

neither  in  Boston  nor  elsewhere,  with  any  letters 
this  season,  but  the  extraordinary  revolutions 
which  have  happened  in  this  Department,  and  in 
our  quarters  in  particular,  have  broke  upon  my 
reveries  and  set  me  to  writing. 

"For  a  particular  account  of  Arnold's  elopement, 
I  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to  my  brother's  letter, 
which  I  have  requested  him  to  show.  You  will 
easily  allow  the  length  of  the  narration  to  be  my 
apology  for  not  transcribing  it.  Since  that,  noth- 
ing material  has  occurred.  We  have,  as  usual, 
been  amused  with  the  reports  of  a  new  arrange- 
ment, but  by  the  last  accounts  from  Philadelphia 
none  will  take  place,  anterior  to  another  arrange- 
ment of  the  army,  which  is  now  in  digestion.  By 
the  resolutions  of  Congress  in  answer  to  the  me- 
morial of  the  general  officers,  you  perceive  the 
order  for  the  payment  of  our  depreciation  ;  which 
if  we  have  faith,  will  take  place  immediately. 

"  General  Greene  is  come  out  with  four  brigades, 
to  command  at  this  post.  General  Washington 
has  marched  with  the  army  to  Passaic  Falls,  so 
that  the  campaign  is  finally  in  my  opinion  over. 
Every  man  must  form  his  own  opinion  of  the  con- 
sequences of  the  loss  of  this  season,  and  the  gen- 
eral situation  of  the  country.  Mine  is  unfit  for  a 
thousand  reasons,  to  be  recorded.  I  wish  that  of. 
others  who  are  more  competent  judges,  may  be 
more  favorable.  Neither  now,  nor  at  any  time, 
have  I  ever  despaired  of  the  independence  or  free- 
dom of  the  States ;  but  I  am  clear  that  new  and 
greater  exertions  are  necessary,  than  have  as  yet 
been  made. 


220  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [Acs  27. 

» 

"  Townsend  has  been  with  me  for  two  or  three 
days,  on  his  way  to  the  army.  From  Adams,  I 
have  not  heard  one  syllable  since  I  saw  him  in 
Boston.  Where  he  is,  or  what  contriving,  I  can- 
not conjecture. 

"  But  present  my  respectful  compliments  to  Mrs. 
Warren  and  Miss  Betsey,  and  may  I  not  congratu- 
late you  on  a  second  heir  ?  God  bless  you.  May 
you  go  on  and  be  happy. 

u  P.  S.  As  you  visit  the  families  of  our  friends, 
Colonel  Gridley  and  Mr.  Games,  older  and  younger, 
I  shall  be  gratified  by  your  delivering  my  compli- 
ments." 

Mr.  Barry  states  that  the  year  1780  was  barren 
of  events  in  Massachusetts.  That  the  patriots  of 
the  State  were  not  idle,  the  following  letter  is 
proof.  I  give  it  as  matter  of  speculation. 

It  is  directed  to  "  John  Warren,  Esq.,  President 
of  the  Hon.  Council  of  the  American  Association, 
Boston,"  and  signed  by  Phineas  Nevers.  It  may 
be  observed  that  James  Warren,  who  succeeded 
General  Joseph  Warren  as  President  of  the  Pro- 
vincial Congress,  was  now  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  and  his  signature,  "J.  Warren," 
the  same  as  my  father's,  might  have  led  to  a  mis- 
take in  the  address  of  the  letter ;  but  it  does  not 
account  for  its  being  filed  with  my  father's  pa- 
pers. 

The  expedition  alluded  to,  must  have  been  a 
very  secret  one ;  as  it  does  not  appear  to  be  al- 
luded to  by  the  writers  of  the  time.  An  expedi- 


1780.J  A   PRIVATE   ENTERPRISE.  221 

tion  into  Canada  had  been  projected  in  Boston  the 
previous  year,  without  consulting  the  Commander- 
in-chief,  and  proved  unfortunate.  This  may  have 
been  another  private  enterprise  of  a  similar  char- 
acter. It  may  have  been  only  intended  to  ascer- 
tain the  feelings  of  the  people  of  the  place,  and  the 
possibility  of  getting  up  a  successful  expedition, 
previous  to  committing  the  government  of  the 
State  to  a  new  scheme,  which  might  have  the 
same  issue  as  the  former. 

"  WOOLWICH,  June  14th,  1780. 

HONORED  SIR,  —  After  a  short  passage,  I  arrived 
here,  where  I  unexpectedly  found  a  considerable 
part  of  the  inhabitants  disaffected  to  the  common 
cause  —  consequently  avowed  enemies  of  our  ex- 
pedition. The  well  affected  were  terrified  by  re- 
peated reports  of  invasion  by  the  Canada  Indians 
(an  artifice  of  the  British)  on  the  back  settlements. 

"  The  severity  of  the  winter  —  our  Indian  allies 
belonging  to  Penobscot  and  St.  John's,  removing 
to  Machias,  whereby  the  provisions  at  St.  Johns 
were  exposed  to  the  enemy,  of  which  they  have 
availed  themselves  in  spine  degree  —  discouraged 
the  people  about  engaging  in  the  expedition. 

"  This  obliged  me  to  alter  our  plan,  and  to  en- 
gage a  larger  number  than  was  first  proposed ;  in 
which  alteration  I  flatter  myself  I  shall  have  the 
honor  of  your  approbation.  It  appears  necessary 
to  coinmissionate  three  battalions  and  raise  what 
men  we  could  have,  and  fill  up  by  the  way,  and 
after  we  enter  the  province. 


222  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

"I  should  be  exceedingly  glad  (as  these  blank 
commissions  are  not  suitable  for  field  officers),  if 
you  would  send  me  some  that  are  more  suitable  ; 
and  the  remainder  of  them  printed,  besides  ;  like- 
wise, two  six-pounders  and  two  howitzers,  with  the 
necessary  articles  to  improve  them,  which  Captain 
Barry  of  Easttown  proposed  to  furnish. 

"  The  other  necessary  stores  with  the  vessels, 
there  is  a  prospect  of  getting  here  and  in  New 
Hampshire  State.  The  number  of  troops  we 
raise  here,  will  soon  be  completed  ;  and  there  is 
some  hundreds  of  Indians  I  depended  upon,  now 
at  Machias  Point,  subsisted  and  paid  by  the  United 
States,  under  the  command  of  Colonel  Allen,  a 
great  expense  to  said  States — of  but  little  use,  but 
might  be  of  great  use  to  us  in  our  expedition. 
The  approbation  of  the  General  Court  and  Council 
may  be  very  necessary  to  taking  them  with  me. 

"I  shall  soon  leave  this  place,  and  proceed  on 
the  expedition,  if  counter  orders  from  you  does 
not  prevent.  I  shall  transmit  a  circumstantial  ac- 
count of  my  proceedings  when  ready  to  proceed." 

The  handwriting  of  this  letter  is  very  much  bet- 
ter than  the  spelling  or  the  grammar. 

Public  events  were  not  so  entirely  engrossing 
as  to  prevent  entirely  attempts  at  improvement  in 
medical  science.  A  meeting  of  physicians  was 
held  in  Boston,  May  14th,  for  the  purpose  of  form- 
ing a  society,  to  which  they  gave  the  name  of  the 
"  Boston  Medical  Society."  The  principal  persons 
concerned  in  the  formation  of  this  society  appear 


1780.]  DE.    ISAAC    RAND.  223 

to  have  been  Drs.  Samuel  Danforth,  Isaac  Rand,  Jr., 
Thomas  Kast,  and  John  Warren. 

The  two  former  of  these  are  well-known  names. 
Perhaps  not  so  much  to  the  present  generation,  as 
they  were  fifty  years  ago.  Dr.  Danforth  had  the 
same  sort  of  reputation  here,  that  Abernethy  had 
in  England.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  eccen- 
tric coarseness  of  manner  and  his  love  of  jokes, 
sometimes  not  very  refined.  His  practice  was  very 
.large,  and  his  decision  and  brusqueness  gave  him 
great  authority  over  his  patients.  Some  of  his 
practical  jokes  are  related  in  the  "  Life  of  Dr.  John 
C.  Warren."  He  died  in  1827.  He  was  President 
of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 

Dr.  Isaac  Rand,  Jr.,  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Isaac 
Rand  of  Charlestown.  He  was  born  in  1743,  and 
graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1761.  He  com- 
menced the  study  of  his  profession  with  his  father, 
and  afterwards  completed  a  course  of  three  years' 
study  with  Dr.  Lloyd.  He  commenced  practice  in 
Boston  in  1764,  adhered  to  the  royalist  side  in 
opinion,  but  took  no  active  part,  so  that  during  the 
siege  of  Boston,  as  he  remained  in  the  town,  his 
professional  duties  became  very  great.  His  indif- 
ference to  the  patriot  cause,  however,  was  owing 
to  doubts  of  their  success ;  and  he  rejoiced  in  the 
establishment  of  independence.  He  acquired  a 
very  extensive  practice,  and  lived  to  the  age  of 
eighty.  He  was  one  of  the  petitioners  for  the  in- 
corporation of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
of  which  he  became  president. 

Dr.  Thomas  Kast  was  a  very  well  educated  sur- 


224  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

geon,  who  had  attended  two  years'  lectures  at  Guy's 
Hospital  and  St.  Thomas'  in  London,  and  had 
served  as  dresser.  He  commenced  practice  in  Bos- 
ton in  1774.  He  is  said  to  have  had  a  very  respec- 
table and  extensive  practice,  and  to  have  been  a 
skillful  operator.  He  died  in  1820,  but  ill  health 
had  interfered  with  his  practicing  actively  for  many 
years. 

Dr.  Bulfinch  was  the  son  of  Dr.  Thomas  Bui- 
finch,  who  studied  under  the  famous  Cheselden, 
and  a  successful  practitioner  in  Boston;  distin- 
guished for  his  fidelity  in  business  and  for  all  the 
unobtrusive  qualities  which  form  the  attractions 
and  happiness  of  social  life.  The  son  was  pos- 
sessed of  the  same  mild  cheerful  character  as  his 
father.  "  He  possessed  the  same  goodness  of  heart, 
and  sincere  and  unpretending  piety.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  distinguished  for  an  uncommon  at- 
traction of  person  and  elegance  of  manners."  He 
retired  from  practice  in  1800,  two  years  before 
his  death.  He  was  the  father  of  Thomas  Bulfinch, 
the  architect  and  superintendent  of  the  public 
buildings  at  Washington,  to  whom  he  transmitted 
the  same  quiet,  amiable  disposition  for  which  him- 
self and  his  father  were  distinguished. 

The  object  of  the  Boston  Medical  Society  was 
principally  the  regulation  of  fees.  The  Massa- 
chusetts Medical  Society  was  formed  the  subse- 
quent year,  but  this  held  an  independent  exist- 
ence, and,  in  1784,  strongly  opposed  the  admission 
of  medical  students  from  Cambridge  to  visit  pa- 
tients at  the  Almshouse,  as  we  shall  see  here- 
after. 


1780.]       BOSTON  MEDICAL  SOCIETY. DR.  BULFINCH.      225 

It  seems  to  be  frequently  confounded  with  the 
Massachusetts  Society;  but  the  latter  never  has 
had  the  power  of  regulating  the  fees ;  which  of 
course  must  differ  very  much  in  different  towns, 
being  much  higher  in  the  metropolis  than  the 
country. 

It  was  then,  and  always  must  be  a  matter  of 
great  difficulty.  The  fee  for  midwifery,  for  in- 
stance, was  fixed  at  forty-eight  shillings.  Dr.  Bul- 
finch  proposed  two  guineas ;  and  though  he  acqui- 
esced in  the  wishes  of  the  majority,  he  was  unwill- 
ing to  alter  his  own  fees,  or  he  preferred  to  retain 
his  independence.  He  declined  connection  with 
the  society ;.  expressing,  however,  his  entire  ap- 
proval of  its  objects  and  his  wishes  for  its  success. 
"  I  am  very  happy,"  he  says,  "  in  the  design  of 
your  institution  —  wish  you  every  advantage  pro- 
posed by  it,  and  am  with  the  warmest  sentiments 
of  respect  and  affection  for  every  member,  Thomas 
Bulfmch." 

His  intention  of  soon  leaving  town  was  the 
reason  assigned  for  not  joining  this  society.  He 
did  not  join  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
and  he  retired  from  practice  this  year.  His  with- 
drawal, however,  appears  to  have  produced  some 
disturbance  among  the  members. 

This  winter  Dr.  Warren  commenced  a  course  of 
anatomical  demonstrations  to  the  medical  men  of 
the  town,  at  the  military  hospital,  which  was  situ- 
ated in  a  pasture  at  the  corner  of  Milton  and 
Spring  streets  near  where  the  Massachusetts  Hos- 
pital now  stands. 


15 


226  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  27. 

This  was  the  first  attempt  at  anatomical  instruc1 
tion  by  actual  demonstrations,  in  Boston.  They 
were  conducted  with  great  privacy,  on  account  of 
the  popular  prejudice  against  dissection.  They 
were  attended  by  a  small  number  of  medical  stu- 
dents and  young  practitioners,  chiefly  mates  or 
persons  otherwise  attached  to  the  army.  A  few 
scientific  gentlemen  were  invited  to  attend. 

Boston  had,  as  we  have  seen,  many  skillful,  well 
educated  physicians,  but  there  was  no  school  for 
medical  instruction.  Dr.  Jeffries,  Dr.  Lloyd,  Dr. 
Kast,  and  others,  had  obtained  their  medical  edu- 
cation in  England.  Midwifery  had  been  alto- 
gether in  the  hands  of  unqualified  females.  Dr. 
Lloyd  had  made  the  first  effort  to  take  it  out  of 
their  hands ;  and  Dr.  Rand  left  a  very  lucrative 
practice  in  Boston  to  go  to  Europe,  to  qualify  him- 
self in  this  branch.  On  the  commencement  of  the 
Revolution,  it  was  no  longer  possible  for  American 
students  to  obtain  instruction  abroad,  and  they 
were  driven  to  seek  at  home  all  the  medical  in- 
struction that  could  be  obtained. 

In  an  account  of  the  origin  of  the  Medical 
School,  my  father  says :  — 

"  In  some  of  the  more  populous  towns,  students 
were  sometimes  indulged  with  the  privilege  of 
examining  the  bodies  of  those  who  had  died  from 
any  extraordinary  diseases  j  and  in  a  few  instances, 
associations  were  formed  for  pursuing  the  business 
of  dissection,  where  opportunities  offered,  from 
casualties  or  from  public  executions,  for  doing  it 
in  decency  and  safety.  A  private  society  had  ex- 


1780.]  ORIGIN   OF   THE   MEDICAL   SCHOOL.  227 

isted  in  the  university  under  the  denomination  of 
the  Anatomical  Society,  in  which  brutes  were  dis- 
sected, and  demonstrations  on  the  bones  of  the 
human  skeleton  were  delivered  by  the  members. 

"  But  the  Revolution  was  the  era  to  which  the 
first  medical  school  east  of  Philadelphia,  together 
with  many  other  valuable  institutions,  owes  its 
birth.  The  military  hospitals  of  the  United  States 
furnished  a  large  field  for  observation  and  experi- 
ment in  the  various  branches  of  the  healing  art,  as 
well  as  an  opportunity  for  anatomical  investiga- 
tions; and  to  them  many  of  the  most  eminent 
practitioners  of  the  present  day  are  indebted  for 
their  reputation  and  usefulness." 

My  father  was  the  principal  agent  in  getting  up 
the  Anatomical  society  in  college  ;  and  he  was  the 
principal  lecturer.  That  the  members  of  the  so- 
ciety were  pretty  active,  and  that  their  zeal  was 
too  great  to  confine  themselves  always  to  compar- 
ative anatomy,  may  be  inferred  from  the  allusions 
to  the  Sp — r  Club,  in  the  early  part  of  this  vol- 
ume. Eustis,  Adams,  Norwood,  and  Townsend, 
seem  to  have  been  very  active. 

I  give  here  a  letter  from  Dr.  Eustis  which  is 
without  date,  but  seems  to  have  been  written  pre- 
vious to  the  year  1775,  while  there  was  still  a 
royal  governor  of  Massachusetts,  and  before  the  al- 
leged treason  of  Dr.  Church.  Dr.  Adams  gradu- 
ated in  1770,  and  died  in  1778.  We  find  Dr.  Nor- 
wood writing  from  Falmouth,  June  5th,  1775. 


228  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

"  FRIDAY  MORNING,  Boston. 

"  DEAR  BROTHER,  —  This  may  serve  to  inform 
you,  that  as  soon  as  the  body  of  Levi  Ames  was 
pronounced  dead  by  Dr.  Jeffries,  it  was  delivered 
by  the  Sheriff  to  a  person  who  carried  it  in  a  cart 
to  the  water  side,  where  it  was  received  into  a  boat 
filled  with  about  ^  twelve  of  Stillman's  crew,  who 
rowed  it  over  to  Dorchester  Point. 

"It  seems  Stillman  was  very  great  with  Ames, 
upon  whose  signifying  his  desire  to  be  kept  from 
the  doctors,  Stillman  promised  that  he  would  get 
his  people  to  secure  him. 

'  "  Our  determination  to  have  him  was  fixed  as 
the  laws  of  the  Medes  and  Persians.  We  had 
heard  it  surmised  that  he  was  to  be  taken  from  the 
gallows  in  a  boat,  and  when  we  saw  him  carried  to 
the  water,  we  concluded  it  was  a  deep  laid  scheme 
in  Jeffries. 

"I'm  before  my  story.  You  must  know  that 
Jeffries  (as  we  heard)  had  applied  to  the  Governor 
for  a  warrant  to  have  this  body.  The  Governor 
told  him  if  he  had  come  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
sooner,  he  would  have  given  it,  but  he  had  just 
given  one  to  Ames'  friends,  alias  Stillman's  gang. 
So  it  seems  there  was  a  scheme  with  Lloyd,  Jef- 
fries, Clark,  etc.,  to  have  him,  and  we  imagined,  as 
we  knew  they  were  after  him,  they  might  spread 
these  reports  to  baffle  us. 

"  However,  when  we  saw  the  Stillmanites,  we 
were  satisfied  Jeffries  had  no  hand  in  it.  When 
we  saw  the  boat  land  at  Dorchester  Point,  we  had 
a  consultation,  and  Norwood,  David,  One  Allen  and 


1780.]      PURSUIT    OP   ANATOMY    UNDER    DIFFICULTIES.       229 

myself,  took  chaise  and  rode  round  to  the  Point, 
Spuuker's  like,  but  the  many  obstacles  we  had  to 
encounter  made  it  eleven  o'clock  before  we  reached 
the  Point,  where  we  searched  and  searched,  and  rid, 
hunted,  and  waded  ;  but  alas,  in  vain  !  There  was 
no  corpse  to  be  found. 

"Discontented,  we  sat  us  down  on  the  beach  and 
groaned,  etc.,  etc.  Then  rode  to  Brackett's,  on  the 
Neck,  and  endeavored  to  'nock  'em  up,  to  give  us 
a  dish  of  coffee;  but  failing,  we  backed  about  to  the 
Punch  Bowl,  where,  after  long  labors,  we  raised  the 
house  and  got  our  desires  gratified,  and  got  home 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  morning.  Hadn't  much 
sleep,  of  course,  so  we  are  very  lame  and  cross  to- 
day,—  moving,  and  altogether.  Neptune  continues 
very  bad  as  yet ;  the  chance  is  very  much  against 
him.  Else,  we  are  all  well.  Mr.  Eea  will  have 
your  clothing  done  by  Wednesday.  One  Allen 

makes  a  figure,  I  assure  you.  We  have  a 

from  another  place,  so  Church  shan't  be  disap- 
pointed. Write  very  soon. 

"P.  S.  If  you  can  understand  me,  I  shall  be 
much  mistaken,  but  more  pleased  ;  half  dead,  your 

.  By  the  way,  we  have  since  heard  that 

Stillman's  gang  rowed  him  back  from  the  Point  up 
to  the  town,  and  after  laying  him  out  in  mode  and 
figure,  buried  him  —  God  knows  where !  Clark  & 
Co.  went  to  the  Point  to  look  for  him,  but  were 
disappointed  as  well  as  we." 

Dr.  Clark,  here  mentioned,  was  probably  a  class- 
mate of  Dr.  Eustis,  who  commenced  the  study  of 


230  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

medicine  with  Dr.  Lloyd,  at  the  same  time  that  the 
former  commenced  with  Joseph  Warren.  He  was 
the  sixth  John  Clark,  and  he  became  a  partner  of 
Dr.  Lloyd.  David  was,  of  course,  Dr.  Townsend. 
One  Allen  seems  to  be  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  nick- 
name. Whether  it  was  the  Rev.  Ebenezer  Allen,  a 
classmate  of  my  father  or  not,  I  cannot  say. 

At  this  period,  the  Governor  had  the  disposal  of 
the  body  of  the  criminal  after  execution.  He 
might  order  its  delivery  to  the  man's  friends,  to 
any  one  to  whom  he  himself  assigned  it,  or  to  a 
surgeon,  as  he  thought  proper.  The  prisoner,  with 
the  Governor's  assent,  might  make  his  own  ar- 
rangements even  for  the  sale  of  his  body,  if  lie  was 
so  disposed,  either  for  the  benefit  of  his  family  or 
his  own  brief  enjoyment. 

There  was  a  letter  published  many  years  ago  in 
a  magazine,  which  is  curious  in  itself,  and  bears 
on  its  face  the  marks  of  truth.  It  purports  to  be 
from  an  individual  who  was  hung  in  Boston,  very 
probably  about  the  time  referred  to. 

He  states,  that  being  convicted  and  condemned 
with  several  other  persons  for  a  crime  of  which 
(of  course)  he  was  innocent,  they  were  visited  by 
certain' surgeons  who  wished  to  bargain  with  them 
for  their  bodies.  The  other  convicts  concluded  an 
agreement,  and  received  their  money  with  high 
glee. 

But  he  showed  so  much  horror  of  the  transac- 
tion, that  he  strongly  excited  the  interest  of  the 
surgeon  who  applied  to  him.  He  stayed  after  the 
others  were  gone,  and  after  some  further  conversa- 


1780.]       CONVICT   RESUSCITATED    AFTER   EXECUTION.        231 

tion,  he  agreed  to  make  the  attempt  to  save  him 
even  after  execution.  He  gave  him  some  direc- 
tions, in  compliance  with  which,  as  the  writer 
states,  while  the  attention  of  every  'one  was  en- 
gaged by  the  affecting  prayer  of  the  clergyman  — 
at  this  awful  moment  he  was  working  the  halter, 
so  as  to  alter  the  position  of  the  knot,  that  it  might 
not  compress  the  large  nerves  and  arteries. 

The  surgeon  obtained  possession  of  the  body, 
and  employed  measures  for  its  resuscitation,  which 
were  gradually  successful.  The  writer  describes 
(as  others  have  done  in  similar  cases)  the  hor- 
rors of  returning  to  life,  as  a  thousand  times 
worse  than  death.  Means  were  taken  to  secure  his 
escape  from  the  country,  and  he  arrived  safely  in 
London.  He  states  that  the  object  of  his  com- 
munication, is  to  convey  his  thanks  to  the  surgeon 
who  rescued  him,  to  whom  he  •  expresses  infinite 
gratitude ;  and  to  assure  him  of  his  safety. 

Besides  its  inherent  probability,  there  is  strong 
reason  to  believe  in  the  veracity  of  this  narrative. 
In  ordinary  cases,  it  might  be  at  least  a  question 
how  far  such  an  interference  in  the  course  of  justice 
would  not  be  criminal  ?  But  if  the  event  occurred 
at  the  time  in  question,  when  Gage  was  Governor 
of  Massachusetts,  the  Whig  surgeon  would  have 
no  chance  of  obtaining  a  hearing,  however  much 
he  might  be  convinced  of  the  prisoner's  innocence. 

The  surgeon  was  doubtless  'a  young  man.  His 
feelings  had  become  strongly  excited  in  favor  of 
the  convict,  and  he  was  fully  convinced  that  he 
had  been  unjustly  condemned  by  an  authority  to 


232  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  27. 

which  he  himself  was  opposed.  Moreover,  if  he 
shared  the  Calvinistic  views  of  his  time,  the  sen- 
tence of  the  law  by  cutting  off  the  period  of  proba- 
tion, involved  the  eternal  death  of  the  criminal. 

It  may  also  be  conjectured  that  the  young  sur- 
geon was  not  unwilling  to  experiment  upon  the 
means  of  restoring  suspended  animation  —  a  mat- 
ter in  which  the  interests  of  humanity  are  so 
strongly  concerned,  and  one  of  the  special  objects 
of  inquiry  to  Humane  Societies. 

It  might  become  a  curious  question  if,  in  such 
experiments  as  a  former  professor  of  chemistry 
was  fond  of  making  upon  the  body  of  a  recently 
executed  criminal,  the  artificial  appearance  of  life 
should  suddenly  become  real.  Suppose,  excited 
by  the  effect  of  a  powerful  .galvanic  battery,  the 
athletic  form  of  a  Marchant  should  start  up  from 
the  table  of  the  lecture  room,  and  begin  to  use  his 
voice  and  limbs  ?  To  kill  his  patient  again  would 
be  to  commit  murder ;  to  let  him  loose  on  society, 
a  violation  of  law. 

It  is  one  of  those  cases  in  which  nature  and 
feeling  would  decide.  It  would  doubtless  be  his 
duty  to  deliver  him  into  the  hands  of  justice.  But 
would  he  do  it  if  he  could  ?  The  majesty  of  the 
law  has  been  vindicated.  The  criminal  has  expi- 
ated his  crime.  Would  it  not  be  cruelty  to  place 
him  in  jeopardy  of  a  second  execution  ?  There  is 
probably  rarely  a  man  who  would  not  permit  the 
criminal's  escape  if  it  could  be  made  with  secrecy, 
unless  he  knew  that  he  was  letting  a  hardened 
villain  loose  to  commit  ravages  on  society.  But 


1780.]  SINGULAR    CASE   OF    RESUSCITATION.  233 

if  he  believed  the  subject  innocent,  and  especially 
if  he  did  not  recognize  the  authority  by  which  he 
was  convicted,  there  would  be  no  scruples  in  the 
case. 

In  one  of  his  novels,  the  "  Female  Bluebeard,' 
Eugene  Sue  has  raised  the  question,  whether  a 
man  who  has  been  executed,  can  marry  again,  be- 
cause his  first  wife  is  a  widow  ? 

In  November,  1775,  the  body  of  a  soldier  was 
taken  from  a  grave,  as  was  supposed  for  the  pur- 
poses of  dissection.  Much  general  indignation  was 
excited,  and  the  practice  was  forbidden  for  the  fu- 
ture, with  stern  reprobation  by  the  Commander-in- 
chief.  It  was  done  with  so  little  decency  and 
caution,  that  the  empty  coffin  was  left  exposed. 
It  need  scarcely  be  said  that  it  could  not  have 

been  the  work  of  any  of  our  friends  of  the  Sp r 

Club.  It  must  have  been  the  act  of  a  reckless 
agent  or  a  novice.  In  cases  of  this  kind,  where  the 
necessities  of  society  are  in  conflict  with  the  law, 
and  with  public  opinion,  the  crime  consists,  like 
theft  among  the  Spartan  boys,  not  in  the  deed,  but 
in  permitting  its  discovery. 

At  a  much  later  period  than  this,  it  is  said  that 
rivalry  occurred  between  the  pupils  of  different  sur- 
geons, and  collisions  between  the  parties  after  an 
execution  were  not  infrequent. 

The  Massachusetts  Humane  Society  was  one  of 
my  father's  strongest  objects  of  interest. 

It  originated  in  1780.  It  was  first  discussed  by 
several  gentlemen,  Rev.  Dr.  Freeman,  Dr.  Aaron 
Dexter,  Royall  Tyler,  and  Dr.  Mayes,  an  English- 


234  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

man,  the  object  being  to  form  a  society  to  promote 
measures  to  restore  to  life  persons  apparently  dead. 
They  consulted  with  James  Bowdoin,  who  entered 
warmly  into  their  objects.  A  meeting  was  called, 
and  'held  at  the  "  Bunch  of  Grapes,"  in  State  Street, 
January  5th,  1780,  and  it  was  resolved  to  apply 
for  an  act  of  incorporation.  Dr.  Warren's  name  is 
the  third  in  the  act ;  Mr. Russell's  name  be- 
ing first,  and  that  of  Jonathan  Mason,  second. 

The  end  and  design  is  stated  to  be  "  for  the  re- 
covery of  all  persons  who  meet  with  such  accidents 
as  to  produce  in  them  the  appearance  of  death,  and 
for  promoting  the  cause  of  humanity  by  pursuing 
such  means,  from  time  to  time,  as  shall  have  for 
their  object  the  preservation  of  human  life,  and  the 
alleviation  of  its  miseries." 

At  that  time,  charitable  societies  were  rare. 
This  attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention.  It  was 
inaugurated,  and  its  annual  meetings  kept  up  in 
June,  with  a  great  deal  of  pomp  and  circumstance. 
Dr.  Lothrop  gave  the  first  anniversary  discourse, 
and  distinguished  orators  were  engaged  at  each 
subsequent  anniversary. 

At  the  first  meeting  of  the  trustees,  which  was 
held  at  the  house  of  Dr.  Warren  one  month  after 
the  formation  of  the  society,  February,  1786,  it  was 
voted  that  Mr.  Andrew  Sloane,  who  had  saved  a 
lad  from  drowning  who  had  fallen  through  the  ice 
into  the  water  at  the  Mill-dam,  should  receive 
twenty-eight  shillings.  In  October  following,  a 
case  of  resuscitation  claimed  and  received  the  soci- 
ety's reward.  The  child  of  a  painter  had  fallen 


1780.]  HUMANE    SOCIETY.  235 

into  a  deep  well,  and  was  taken  out  apparently 
dead.  After  long  continued  efforts  in  the  employ- 
ment of  means  recommended  by  the  society,  ani- 
mation was  restored.  The  erection  of  huts  on  ex- 
posed portions  of  the  coast,  for  the  shelter  of  ship- 
wrecked seamen,  was  their  next  object.  They 
undertook  to  erect  houses,  and  settle  families  on 
the  Isle  of  Shoals,  near  Cape  Sable,  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

They  made  an  annual  visit  to  inspect  these  huts. 
On  one  occasion,  as  they  passed  the  Fort,  Governor 
Hancock  ordered  a  salute  to  be  fired,  a  circum- 
stance which  shows  the  honor  in  which  the  society 
was  held,  as  well  as  Mr.  Hancock's  appreciation  of 
it.  These  inspections  were  not  always  satisfactory, 
for  they  were  apt  to  find  the  huts  injured  and  plun- 
dered of  their  contents.  However,  as  Rev.  Mr. 
Parkman  says,  they  consoled  themselves  for  their 
losses  by  the  indulgence  of  festivities,  which  gradu- 
ally reached  a  height,  for  which  it  was  necessary  to 
provide  sumptuary  laws,  limiting  the  number  and 
variety  of  dishes.  They  probably  agreed  with  my 
father,  in  the  close  of  his  Masonic  charge  at  the 
festival  of  St.  John  the  Baptist,  in  1702  :  — 

"  For  God  is  pleased  when  man  receives. 
To  enjoy  is  to  obey." 

I  remember  a  festive  meeting  held  at  rny  father's 
residence,  in  one  of  the  last  years  of  his  life.  The 
ample  house,  with  its  large  dining-hall,  opening 
into  the  garden,  furnished  ample  space  for  the 
society  to  range  at  will,  and  the  shaded  walks  af- 
forded the  luxury  of  a  rural  residence  within  the 


236  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

very  heart  of  the  town.  I  do  not  know  how  many 
members  were  present.  To  my  childish  eyes  the 
number  seemed  immense. 

Dr.  Warren  took  a  great  interest  in  the  inven- 
tion and  perfecting  of  life-boats,  and  of  life-preserv- 
ers. One  of  the  latter  he  had  at  his  house  for  exam- 
ination. It  was  a  leather  bag  made  air-tight,  to  be 
worn  around  the  body,  with  shoulder-straps  and 
belt,  and  fitted  with  a  brass  cock  for  filling  it  with 
air  from  the  mouth,  on  pretty  much  the  same  prin- 
ciple, I  believe,  as  those  now  in  use,  with  the  ex- 
ception that  the  latter  are  made  of  India  rubber 
material,  which  was  not  then  known,  except  in  its 
natural  state. 

In  subsequent  years,  other  objects  were  pro- 
posed. A  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with 
the  Medical  Faculty  with  regard  to  providing  for 
the  sick  poor ;  giving  assistance  to  lying-in  women, 
and  for  the  care  of  foundlings.  This  resulted  in 
recommending  a  subscription  for  a  Dispensary, 
May  5,  1794,  and  gave  origin  to  the  Boston  insti- 
tution of  that  name,  which  was  organized  in  1796. 
The  sufferings  of  captives  in  Algiers,  next  excited 
their  attention,  and  some  letters  were  received 
from  captives,  stating  their  condition  and  asking 
assistance.  As  many  deaths  occurred  from  bath- 
ing in  Charles  River,  near  the  Colleges,  Dr.  War- 
ren and  Dr.  Dexter  were  appointed  a  committee 
to  confer  with  the  citizens  of  Cambridge  for  the 
purpose  of  erecting  bathing-houses,  and  the  society 
voted  $150  for  this  purpose. 

During  the  prevalence  of  the  yellow  fever  in 


1780.]  HUMANE   SOCIETY.  237 

1798,  the  society  offered  a  piece  of  plate  of  the 
value  of  fifty  dollars,  for  a  treatise  containing  the 
greatest  number  of  important  and  well  substantia- 
ted facts,  instrumental  in  giving  origin  to  this  Sis- 
ease  in  the  United  States.  The  premium  was 
given  to  Dr.  Samuel  Brown. 

As  was  naturally  to  be  expected,  the  objects  of 
the  society  were  often  greatly  misunderstood,  and 
it  was  exposed  to  various  impositions.  The  premi- 
ums were  claimed  for  objects  very  different  from 
those  designed,  and  in  one  case  an  individual  ap- 
plied for  the  reward  for  rescuing  from  drowning, 
a  person  who  had  not  been  in  the  water. 

The  condition  of  insane  persons  attracted  so 
much  attention  from  the  society,  that  the  Hon. 
Lemuel  Shaw,  in  an  address  before  the  society  in 
1811,  while  congratulating  them  on  the  success  of 
their  efforts,  says,  that  these  efforts  have  been 
pushed  with  such  perseverance,  that  cold,  cautious, 
and  calculating  men  suspected  some  sinister  de- 
sign. 

In  1801,  Rev.  Dr.  Parker  informed  the  trustees 
that  a  gentleman  had  made  offer  to  the  society  of 
four  hundred  dollars,  to  be  used  for  erecting  a 
building  for  those  persons  who  are  so  unfortunate 
as  to  become  insane.  The  trustees  appointed  a 
committee  to  report  upon  the  subject.  Thomas 
Boylston,  by  a  will  dated  November  12,  1798,  left 
to  the  town  of  Boston  a  sum  for  the  erection  of  a 
small-pox  hospital,  and  a  lunatic  asylum.  His 
property,  unfortunately,  was  in  a  London  company, 
which  became  insolvent,  and  the  bequest  was  lost. 


238  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

Hon.  William  Phillips,  by  a  codicil  dated  April  10, 
1797,  bequeathed  the  sum  of  five  thousand  dollars 
towards  the  building  a  hospital,  to  be  paid  as  soon 
as  they  shall  begin  the  work. 

The  will  was  proved  in  1804,  but  the  work  was 
not  begun.  Dr.  Warren  had,  it  appears,  frequent 
conversations  with  his  son  and  executor,  Governor 
William  Phillips,  and  addressed  a  letter  to  him. 
His  reply  is  given  in  the  "Memoir  of  Dr.  J.  C.  War- 
ren," vol.  i.  p.  98.  He  says :  "  I  am  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  the  subject  .upon  which  we 
have  repeatedly  conversed,  that  of  establishing  in 
this  town  an  hospital  for  the  reception  of  lunatics, 
and  other  sick  persons."  He  engages  to  pay  to  the 
Overseers  of  the  Poor,  twenty  thousand  dollars, 
which  includes  his  father's  legacy,  so  soon  as  one 
hundred  and  fifty  thousand  shall  be  subscribed,  .and 
one  hundred  thousand  actually  paid  to  said  over- 
seers, for  the  erection  of  such  an  hospital. 

It  does  not  appear  that  this  money  was  raised 
by  the  town,  but  the  State  came  to  the  rescue,  and 
contributed  largely  and  liberally  for  the  purpose, 
so  that  it  deservedly  has  the  title  of  the  Massachu- 
setts General  Hospital. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

1780-1781. 
AMERICAN   ACADEMY. 

Dr.  Warren  chosen  a  Member.  —  His  Paper.  —  Dr.  Warren  requested 
to  Lecture. —  Lectures  at  the  Hospital.  —  Amputation  at  the  Shoul- 
der-joint. —  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  incorporated.  —  Sur- 
render of  Cornwallis.  —  Plan  for  a  Medical  Institution.  —  Corres- 
pondence on  this  Subject.  —  Elected  Professor  of  Anatomy.  —  Dr. 
Dexter,  Dr.  Warren,  Dr.  Waterhouse,  Thomas  Lee  Shippen.  — 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 

HHHE  American  Academy  of  the  Arts  and  Sci- 
ences received  its  charter  on  the  5th  of  May. 
My  father  became  a  member  the  subsequent  year. 
The  vote  of  the  society  was  transmitted  to  him  by 
President  Willard,  in  the  following  note,  dated  — 

"BEVERLY,  August  27,  1781. 

"  SIR,  —  By  the  direction  of  the  American  Acad- 
emy of  Arts  and  Sciences,  I  have  the  satisfaction 
of  acquainting  you  that  the  twenty-second  of  this 
month  you  were  elected  a  member  of  that  literary 
body.  I  am  persuaded,  sir,  that  the  Fellows  of  the 
Academy  gave  their  suffrages  with  great  pleasure  ; 
and  from  your  well  known  character,  are  happy  in 
the  prospect  of  receiving  much  assistance  from  you 
in  prosecuting  their  plans,  which  make  this  institu- 
tion of  great  public  utility.  We  are  persuaded  of 


240  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

your  ability,  and  we  "have  no  doubt  of  your  incli- 
nation to  promote  those  valuable  ends  for  which  the 
Academy  was  founded,  and  which  it  is  to  be  hoped 
all  the  members  will  invariably  pursue. 

"  You  will  join  me,  sir,  in  wishing  this  society 
to  become  extensively  useful  to  mankind,  and  an 
honor  to  our  country  ;  and  I  think  it  cannot  fail  of 
it,  if  the  designs  of  the  institution  are  properly 
pursued. 

"  I  am,  sir,  with  sentiments  of  great  esteem, 
"  Your  very  humble  servant, 

"  JOSEPH  WILLARD, 

Cor.  Sec.  Amer,  Acad." 

The  American  Academy  in  Boston  was  com- 
posed of  the  most  distinguished  men  in  science 
and  literature  of  the  time,  many  of  whom  were 
physicians.  Governor  Bowdoin,  President  Willard, 
Samuel  Adams,  John  Adams,  Governor  Hancock, 
Dr.  Holyoke,  Dr.  Jarvis,  James  Sullivan,  Eev.  Sam- 
uel Cooper  —  the  distinguished  patriot  and  pastor 
of  Brattle  Street  Church  —  Dr.  Chauncy,  and  Eev. 
Samuel  Mather,  were  among  the  earliest  members. 

Among  the  objects  of  the  society,  Agriculture 
is  named  first,  as  most  important,  and  that  upon 
which  the  solid  prosperity  of  the  country  most  de- 
pended. u  To  examine  the  various  soils  and  de- 
termine what  each  is  best  adapted  to  produce ;  to 
ascertain  the  most  suitable  manures,  and  the  means 
of  increasing  them;  to  devise  methods  to  secure 
the  fruits  of  the  field  and  of  the  trees  from  blight, 
and  destructive  insects."  The  study  of  Natural 


1781.]  AMERICAN   ACADEMY.  241 

History  is  placed  next,  then  Botany  and  Chemistry, 
then  Astronomy,  and  finally  the  Mechanical  Arts, 
and  Manufactures. 

The  first  paper  contributed  by  Dr.  Warren  was 
an  account  of  a  "  Large  tumor  in  the  abdomen, 
containing  hair." 

He  adduces  this  case  as  an  instance  of  the  per- 
fect safety  with  which  large  and  free  openings  may 
be  made  under  certain  circumstances  into  the  ab- 
domen. The  case  was  one  of  a  negro  woman  who 
had  a  large  tumor  which  had  been  a  number  of 
years  in  growing,  became  fluctuating,  and  indicated 
the  presence  of  pus. 

"An  extensive  incision  was  made  through  the 
rectus  muscle,  and  about  a  pint  of  watery  matter 
immediately  issued  from  it ;  after  which  about  the 
same  quantity  of  pure  pus  was  discharged. 

"On  introducing  two  or  three  fingers  into  the 
cavity,  a  quantity  of  soft  substance  was  felt  within 
it,  much  about  the  consistency  of  soft  soap."  This 
was  removed  with  a  table-spoon  to  the  quantity  of 
about  a  pound,  and  after  three  or  four  successive 
dressings,  about  three  pounds  more  were  removed. 

"  At  each  dressing  the  matter  was  particularly 
examined,  and  found  to  contain  a  large  quantity  of 
short  hair  or  wool,  about  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
long,  uniformly  mixed  with  it."  On  careful  ex- 
amination no  bone  or  other  foreign  substance  could 
be  found  in  the  tumor.  The  matter  had  evidently 
been  contained  in  a  sac,  which  firmly  adhered  to 
the  peritoneum. 

The  patient  was  visited  by  many  of  the  practi- 

16 


242  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  27. 

tioners  in  Boston,  and  the  supposition  of  an  extra- 
uterine  foetus  was  entertained,  but  the  absence  of 
all  the  usual  signs  of  pregnancy  and  of  bone  or 
other  foreign  matter  in  the  sac,  contradicted  the 
supposition.  Dr.  Warren  was  inclined  to  consider 
it  a  diseased  ovarium,  adhering  to  the  neighboring 
part  of  the  uterus  as  well  as  to  the  peritoneum, 
from  the  common  result  of  inflammation.  The 
patient  recovered  perfect  health,  became  moder- 
ately corpulent,  and  had  the  catamenia  regularly.  . 

The  next  article  published  in  the  first  volume  of 
the  "  Memoirs  of  the  Academy,"  is  an  "  Analysis  of 
the  Waters  of  Boston,"  by  J.  Feron,  surgeon-mnjor 
of  his  most  Christian  Majesty's  forces  in  North 
America.  This  analysis  was  procured  by  my  father, 
and  I  find  the  original  and  the  translation  among 
his  papers.  M.  Feron's  conclusion  is  that  "  the 
waters  of  Boston  contain  a  sea  salt,  with  a  basis  of 
mineral  alkali  in  small  quantity  ;  a  greater  quan- 
tity of  sea  salt  with  an  earthy  basis ;  a  certain 
quantity  of  oil,  perhaps  a  little  of  sal  catharticus 
amarus.  There  are  besides,  some  which  contain 
farther  a  superabundance  of  earth,  suspended  by 
means  of  an  undue  proportion  of  air."  He  gives 
another  paper  upon  the  same  subject  in  the  second 
volume  of  the  "  Memoirs."  I  shall,  hereafter,  give  a 
friendly  letter  from  M.  Feron,  written  from  Paris, 
26th  Floreal,  anno  X. 

On  the  third   of  November,   1781,  the  Boston 
Medical  Society  passed  the  following  vote  :  - 

"  Present  the  President,  .Dr.  Pecker,  Dr.  Gard- 
ner, Dr.  Danforth,  Dr.  Rand,  Dr.  Jarvis,  Dr.  War- 


1780.]  AMPUTATION    AT   THE    SHOULDER    JOINT.  243 

ren,  Dr.   Curtis,   Dr.    "Welsh,  Dr.  Appleton,   Dr. 
Whipple. 

"  Voted,  That  Dr.  John  Warren  be  desired  to 
demonstrate  a  course  of  Anatomical  Lectures  the 
ensuing  winter. 

"  A  true  copy  from  the  minutes. 

«N.  W.  APPLETON,  D.  J. 


In  consequence  of  this  vote,  a  course  was  de- 
livered at  the  hospital,  which  was  quite  public. 
Many  of  the  literary  and  scientific  gentlemen  of 
Boston,  and  some  of  the  students  of  Harvard  Col- 
lege, were  permitted  to  a.ttend.  . 

My  father  had  so  much  enthusiasm  for  his 
science,  he  was  so  full  of  his  subject,  that  he  read- 
ily infected  others  with  his  own  love  of  the  science. 
President  Willard,  and  some  of  the  Corporation  of 
the  College,  who  attended  these  lectures,  were  led 
to  the  idea  of  forming  a  Medical  Institution  to  be 
connected  with  the  University.  The  president 
communicated  this  desire  to  Dr.  Warren,  a  con- 
ference was  held,  and  he  was  desired  to  draw  up 
the  plan  for  such  an  institution,  to  be  submitted  to 
Dr.  Willard  as  soon  as  convenient. 

In  this  winter  he  performed  the  operation  of 
amputation  at  the  shoulder-joint,  with  complete 
success  at  the  Military  Hospital.  This  operation 
had  probably  never  been  performed  before  in  this 
country,  and  has  been  only  on  two  or  three  occa- 
sions since.  It  is  necessarily  one  of  great  danger, 
from  the  size  of  the  wound,  its  neighborhood  to 
the  great  arteries  and  nerves  in  the  arm-pit,  so  that 


244  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  28. 

there  is  danger  not  only  from  loss  of  blood,  but 
from  the  shock  upon  the  system.  The  inflamma- 
tion resulting  from  the  wound  of  the  articular  sur- 
face must  also  be  greater,  the  bone  not  being 
sawed  off,  but  disarticulated.  The  necessity  of  such 
an  operation  is  not  often  likely  to  occur  from  gun- 
shot or  sabre  wounds,  or  in  common  cases  of  acci- 
dent. Since  the  introduction  of  steam  machinery 
into  common  use,  however,  some  cases  have  oc- 
curred, in  which  the  arm  was  torn  off  close  to  the 
body  without  destroying  life  ;  particularly  those  in 
a  steam  bakery  in  Boston,  in  which  disarticulation 
of  the  shoulder  was  performed  with  perfect  success 
by  Dr.  Winslow  Lewis. 

The  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  obtained  its 
act  of  incorporation  this  year,  on  petition  of  thirty- 
one  physicians  residing'  in  different  parts  of  the 
State.  Dr.  John  Warren  was  one  of  the  thirty-one 
original  members.  It  held  its  first  meeting  the 
ensuing  year,  when  Dr.  Edward  Augustus  Hoi- 
yoke  was  chosen  president. 

This  society  had  power  to  examine  and  license 
candidates  for  the  practice  of  medicine,  it  being 
"  clearly  of  importance  that  a  just  discrimination 
should  be  made  between  such  as  are  duly  educated 
and  properly  qualified  for  the  duties  of  their  pro- 
fession, and  those  w"ho  may  ignorantly  and  wickedly 
administer  medicine,  whereby  the  health  and  lives 
of  many  valuable  individuals  may  be  endangered 
or  perhaps  lost  to  the  community."  This  seems  to 
have  been  the  special  design  of  the  society  in  its 
origin.  There  was  hitherto  no  power  in  the  State 


1781.]  SURRENDER   OF    CORNWALLIS.  245 

to  license  medical  practitioners ;  still  less  to  confer 
medical  degrees.  By  subsequent  acts  of  legisla- 
ture, exemption  from  military  duty  and  the  exclu- 
sive power  of  collecting  fees  bylaw,  were  conferred 
upon  the  members. 

On  the  19th  of  October,  the  surrender  of  Corn- 
wallis,  the  great  event  of  the  year,  and  in  fact  of 
the  war,  took  place.  From  this  time,  the  issue  was 
no  longer  doubtful.  The  exciting  interest  of  the 
struggle  having  passed,  left  my  father  more  time 
for  the  earnest  pursuit  of  his  medical  labors.  In 
compliance  with  the  wishes  expressed  by  the  Pres- 
ident and  Corporation  of  Harvard  College,  he  pre- 
pared the  outlines  of  a  plan  for  an  institution; 
which,  after  various  revisals  and  amendments,  was 
completed  in  time  for  the  next  meeting  of  the  Cor- 
poration ;  and  was  brought  before  them  upon  the 
nineteenth  of  September,  1782.  Twenty-two  arti- 
cles were  unanimously  adopted,  and  were  subse- 
quently laid  before  the  Board  of  Overseers,  by 
whom  they  were  approved  and  confirmed.  The 
plan  was  as  follows  :  — 

"  That  three  professorships  be  established,  namely, 
A  professorship  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery ;  a  pro- 
fessorship of  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Physic ; 
and  a  professorship  of  Chymistry  and  Materia  Med- 
ica. 

"  That  these  professors  should,  at  all  times,  be 
under  the  inspection  of  the  President  and  Fellows, 
and  of  the  Overseers,  to  be  by  them  displaced  for 
any  just  and  sufficient  cause.  That  in  case  of  va- 
cancies they  shall  be  supplied  within  a  year  by  the 


246  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  28. 

Corporation  ;  or  on  their  neglect,  by  the  Overseers. 
That  each  professor  be  a  Master  of  Arts,  or  grad- 
uated Bachelor,  or  Doctor  of  Physic ;  of  the  Chris- 
tian Religion,  and  of  strict  morals. 

"  That  the  professors  demonstrate  the  anatomy 
of  the  human  body  with  physiological  observations ; 
and  explain  and  perform  a  complete  system  of  sur- 
gical operations. 

"  That  they  teach  their  pupils  the  theory  and 
practice  of  physic,  by  directing  and  superintending, 
as  much  as  may  be  their  private  studies,  lecturing 
on  the  diseases  of  the  human  body,  and  taking 
with  them  such  as  are  qualified  to  visit  their  pa- 
tients ;  making  proper  observations  on  the  na- 
ture of  the  diseases,  the  peculiar  circumstances 
attending  them,  and  the  method  of  cure.  And 
whenever  the  professors  be  desired  by  any  other 
gentlemen  of  the  faculty  to  visit  their  patients  in 
difficult  and  uncommon  cases,  they  shall  use  their 
endeavors  to  introduce  with  them  their  pupils  who 
are  properly  qualified. 

"  That  they  deliver  lectures  on  Materia  Medica, 
and  explain  the  theory  of  Chymistry,  and  apply  its 
principles  in  a  course  of  actual  experiments. 

"  That  they  have  the  use  of  the  library,  and  be 
entitled  to  the  privileges  of  the  University  in  com- 
mon with  the  other  professors,  as  far  as  circum- 
stances will  permit. 

"That  the  medical  pupils  have  access  to  the 
library  on  conditions  prescribed. 

"  That  students  of  physic  who  shall  have  attended 
two  courses  of  all  the  branches,  and  studied  two 


1782-1  HARVARD    MEDICAL    SCHOOL.  247 

years  with  some  regular  practitioner,  may  at  the 
expiration  of  another  year,  offer  themselves  as  can- 
didates for  a  medical  degree,  and  being  approbated, 
may  obtain  the  same,  and  that,  in  special  cases,  the 
attendance  on  one  course  of  lectures  may  be  dis- 
pensed with.  And  further,  that  candidates  who 
have  not  had  a  college  education,  give  satisfactory 
evidence  of  their  knowledge  of  the  Latin  language 
and  experimental  philosophy. 

"  The  foundation  having  been  thus  laid,  Dr.  War- 
ren was  deputed  to  open  a  correspondence  with  the 
Medical  Professors  of  Philadelphia,  and  such  other 
persons  as  he  should  think  proper,  for  procuring 
information  respecting  the  usages  of  other  univer- 
sities, respecting  degrees  and  other  subjects  not 
particularly  regulated  in  the  above  mentioned  arti- 
cles. The  information  furnished  by  the  celebrated 
Dr.  Rush  was  of  much  use  on  this  occasion;  and 
further  arrangements  having  been  made,  the  ap- 
pointment of  a  professor  was  determined  upon.  It 
was  therefore  voted,  November  22,  1782,  that  a 
professor  be  elected  to  superintend  all  the  branches 
till  further  appointment." 

Some  of  the  corespondence  referred  to  may  not 
prove  uninteresting,  even  if  it  contain  no  great 
novelty.  It  may  be  premised  that  Dr.  Morgan 
and  Dr.  Shippen,  —  whose  acquaintance  we  have 
already  made  as  Directors-general,  —  while  absent 
in  Europe  completing  their  medical  studies  there, 
previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  war,  formed 
the  plan  of  establishing  a  medical  institution  in 


248  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

Philadelphia ;  for  at  that  time  there  was  no  medi- 
cal institution  in  the  United  States. 

In  accordance  with  this  design,  Dr.  Shippen 
commenced  a  course  of  lectures  on  anatomy  and 
midwifery,  accompanied  by  dissections.  Dr.  Mor- 
gan returned  from  Europe  in  1765,  and  was  ap- 
pointed Professor  of  the  Institutes  of  Medicine. 
Dr.  Shippen  was  elected  Professor  of  Anatomy. 
Thus  was  formed  the  first  medical  school  in  Amer- 
ica, and  it  was  soon  connected  with  the  college  of 
Philadelphia,  of  which  Dr.  Franklin  was  then  Presi- 
dent. Dr.  Rush  was  chosen  Professor  of  Chemis- 
try in  1769. 

Dr.  Warren's  letter  to  Dr.  Rush  is  dated  Sep- 
tember 26th,  1782:  — 

"  DEAR  SJR,  —  I  was  honored  with  your  favor 
by  Mr.  Elliott,  and  most  cordially  thank  you  for 
the  civilities  received.  It  will  give  me  great  hap- 
piness to  be  indulged  with  an  opportunity  of  re- 
turning them  to  a  friend  of  yours. 

"Your  already  experienced  kindness  induces 
me  once  more  to  trouble  you,  though  not  on  a 
similar  occasion.  Some  new  regulations  are  now 
proposed  at  our  University  in  Cambridge,  respect- 
ing the  mode  of  conferring  degrees  in  Physic  on 
such  of  the  Faculty  as  may  merit  them ;  but  the 
point  in  agitation  is  this :  whether  they  shall  be 
conferred  after  a  certain  prescribed  course  of 
studies,  or  solely  upon  the  principle  of  merit,  to 
be  ascertained  by  strict  examination  in  the  vari- 
ous branches  of  the  profession  ? 


1782.]  MEDICAL   INSTITUTION.  249 

t(  Hitherto,  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  has 
been  given  three  years  after  the  degree  of  Bache- 
lor, to  which  latter,  each  student  is  entitled  after 
four  years'  attendance  on  the  exercises  of  the  col- 
lege, —  so  that  any  person,  whatever,  who  had  been 
four  years  at  college,  might  receive  his  Bachelor's 
degree,  and  three  years  after,  his  Master's.  This 
has  been  the  established  usage  of  the  college ;  no 
other  medical  degrees  have  been  given,  but  such 
as  are  merely  honorary. 

"It  is  now  proposed  to  give  them  to  all  those 
whose  education  and  proficiency  shall  merit  them. 
They,  however,  would  wish  to  avail  themselves  of 
the  perusal  of  the  rules  of  other  institutions,  and 
particularly  that  at  Philadelphia,  relating  to  the 
subject.  I  write,  therefore,  by  desire  of  the  Cor- 
poration of  the  College,  to  obtain  information, 
whether  degrees  are  given  at  Philadelphia,  and 
whether  they  are  conferred  in  course,  or  only 
upon  examination  and  publishing  or  reading  a 
thesis  ? 

"  By  gratifying  their  wishes  in  a  letter  to  me, 
by  an  early  opportunity,  you  will  lay  me  under 
great  additional  obligations. 

"  I  arn,  dear  sir,  with  the  greatest  esteem,  your 
most  obedient  servant,  J.  WARREN." 

It  must  be  recollected  that  in  those  days  it 
took  nearly  as  long  to  hear  from  Philadelphia  as  it 
now  does  by  mail  from  London.  Dr.  Rush's  reply 
is  dated  October  12th,  and  was  sent  to  the  Presi- 
dent by  Dr.  Warren,  November  4th. 


250  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  Agreeably  to  the  desire  of  the 
Corporation,  I  wrote  to  Dr.  Rush  of  Philadelphia 
on  the  subject  of  degrees,  requesting  information 
whether  they  were  conferred  in  course  in  the  Uni- 
versity there  or  not,  without  a  previous  examina- 
tion of  the  qualifications  of  the  candidates,  and  I 
have  taken  the  liberty  to  inclose  for  the  use  of  the 
Corporation  his  obliging  answer,  which  I  received 
yesterday,  and  which  I  believe  will  be  of  use  in 
forming  that  article  of  your  medical  establishment 
which  affects  the  graduation  of  students  in  the  sev- 
eral branches.  I  am,  sir,"  etc. 

"PHILADELPHIA,  October  12th,  1782. 

"DEAR  SIR,  —  In  consequence  of  the  dissolution 
of  the  charter  of  our  College  by  Mr.  Reed's  faction, 
I  have  ceased  to  exercise  my  professorship  in  the 
present  University.  The  rules  for  graduating  in 
the  College,  while  I  had  the  honor  of  teaching  in 
it,  were  as  follows  :  — 

"  No  young  man  was  ever  admitted  to  an  exam- 
ination for  a  Bachelor's  degree  in  Medicine  who 
had  not  previously  attended  the  lectures  on  Anat- 
omy, Chemistry,  the  Materia  Medica,  and  the  Prac- 
tice of  Physic. 

"The  examinations  were,  1st,  private  before 
the  professors  only;  and  2d,  public  before  the 
Trustees  of  the  College,  and  as  many  as  pleased  to 
attend. 

"  If  the  candidates  had  been  admitted  to  de- 
grees in  the  arts,  they  were  examined  only  in 
medicine ;  if  not,  they  were  examined  in  the  Latin 


1782.]  DR.    RUSH'S   LETTER.  251 

language  and  Natural  Philosophy.  Between  the 
private  and  public  examinations,  the  candidate 
produced  to  the  professors  specimens  of  his  abili- 
ties, by  writing  an  answer  to  a  physiological  ques- 
tion, and  by  giving  the  treatment  of  such  a  case 
as  should  be  described  to  him. 

"  At  the  public  commencement,  orations  and 
disputes  upon  medical  subjects  were  introduced 
and  conducted  in  the  same  way  as  in  commence- 
ments in  the  arts.  A  charge  was  always  delivered 
to  the  graduates,  by  one  of  the  professors. 

"  Three  years  after  conferring  the  degree  of 
B.  M.,  the  degree  of  M.  D.  was  conferred  upon 
the  candidate  producing  a  Latin  dissertation  upon 
some  medical  subject,  and  defending  it  publicly 
against  such  objections  as  should  be  made  to  it  by 
any  of  the  professors.  After  the  degree  of  Doctor 
of  Physic  was  conferred,  the  graduate  was  taken 
by  the  hand  in  a  formal  and  solemn  manner  by 
each  of  the  professors  as  a  sign  of  his  being  ad- 
mitted to  an  equality  of  rank  with  them.  With 
sincere  wishes  that  medical  science  may  flourish 
with  you  and  never  be  chased  from  you  by  do- 
mestic broils,  I  am  dear  sir,  with  the  greatest  re- 
spect, your  friend  and  humble  servant." 

Domestic  broils  and  external  rivalries  seem  to 
have  continued  in  the  Philadelphia  College  for 
some  years,  until,  in  1791,  as  Dr.  Thacher  says, 
some  important  changes  took  place,  an  harmo- 
nious union  of  the  contending  parties  was  effected, 
and  Dr.  Rush  was  appointed  Professor  of  the  "  In- 


252  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

stitutes  and  Practice  of  Physic  and  of  Clinical  Med- 
icine." 

In  Edinburgh,  the  time  required  for  study  was 
not  specified.  A  degree  could  be  obtained  in  the 
following  manner :  — 

"A  student  in  physic  may  attend  the  lectures 
of  the  several  professors  on  his  application  to  them 
respectively.  This  is  necessary  for  all  candidates 
for  degrees.  It  is  common  for  him  to  attend  two 
courses,  after  which  he  intimates  to  any  one  of  the 
professors  his  desire  to  receive  the  honors  of  the 
University.  No  particular  term  of  study  is  in- 
sisted on.  Some  time  in  the  month  of  July  is  as- 
signed for  the  private  examination  by  the  profes- 
sors. This  examination  was  formerly  in  Latin,  but 
is  now  made  in  the  English  language,  and  com- 
prehends all  the  branches  of  the  science.  A  sub- 
ject is  then  assigned  for  the  candidate  to  write 
upon,  and  a  certain  time  after,  this  performance  is 
submitted  to  the  professors  for  inspection,  and  it  is 
expected  that  the  candidate  will  readily  answer  all 
questions  that  shall  be  put  to  him  on  the  subject. 

"  If  the  candidate  does  not  stand  the  test  of  the 
first  examination,  no  case  is  given  him.  If  he  is 
approbated  upon  this  last  examination,  he  is  or- 
dered to  write  a  dissertation  for  publication,  on 
any  medical  subject  he  may  think  proper.  This 
is  to  be  submitted  to  any  one  of  the  professors  for 
correction.  After  this  a  degree  is  given." 

The  Edinburgh  Faculty,  it  appears,  depended 
more  upon  the  examination  of  a  candidate  for 
proof  of  his  qualifications,  than  upon  a  d eternal- 


1782.J  MEDICAL   APPOINTMENTS.  253 

nate  period  for  study.  This  University,  therefore, 
was  frequently  resorted  to  by  Americans  who 
studied  their  profession  in  Europe,  but  were  un- 
willing to  remain  for  a  long  period  at  one  univer- 
sity. Dr.  Waterhouse  graduated  there  in  1780, 
and  published  a  dissertation  in  the  Latin  language 
upon  "  Sympathy."  Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  after  a 
short  residence  and  attendance  upon  the  lectures, 
obtained  a  degree  which  by  the  rules  of  Harvard 
would  have  required  one  year,  or  two  years'  study, 
after  his  return  home. 

I  have  given  this  account  more  fully,  because  it 
is  interesting  to  know  what  were  the  requisitions 
of  the  institution,  where  many  of  our  distinguished 
medical  men  graduated  ;  and  which  served  to  model 
our  own.  The  professors  at  Harvard  were  re- 
quired to  make  the  following  declaration  :  — 

"  I, ,  elected  professor  in  the  University  of 

Cambridge,  declare  myself  to  be  of  the  Christian 
religion  as  maintained  in  the  Protestant  communion. 
I  promise  to  discharge  the  trust  now  reposed  in 
me  with  diligence  and  fidelity,  and  to  the  advance- 
ment of  the  students  in  my  particular  department. 
I  promise  to  promote  the  interests  of  virtue  and 
piety,  by  my  own  example  and  encouragement.  I 
declare  and  promise  that  I  will  not  only  endeavor 
the  advancement  of  medical  knowledge  in  the 
University,  but  consult  its  prosperity  in  all  other 
respects." 

On  the  twenty-second  of  November,  1782,  Dr. 
John  Warren  was  elected  professor.  The  other 
elections  were  left  for  the  further  consideration  of 
the  Board. 


254  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  29. 

His  letter  of  acceptance  to  the  Board  of  Over- 
seers, is  dated  December  3,  and  addressed  to  the 
Rev.  Simeon  Willard :  — 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  The  flattering  testimony  of  atten- 
tion which  I  yesterday  received  from  the  Hon. 
Board  of  Overseers  of  Harvard  College  in  their 
vote  of  concurrence  with  the  Corporation  in  their 
choice  of  a  professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery,  de- 
mands my  warmest  return  of  gratitude. 

"  So  far  as  my  exertions  may  be  rendered  sub- 
servient to  the  interest  of  that  University  in  which 
I  had  the  honor  to  receive  my  education,  so  far, 
be  assured,  that  they  are  at  the  command  of  the 
authority  by  which  it  is  governed. 

"  Ever  desirous  of  contributing  to  the  advance- 
ment of  medical  knowledge  in  a  country  which 
has  many  advantages  for  rivalling  the  most  cele- 
brated schools  of  physic,  I  consider  it  my  duty  to 
employ  my  utmost  efforts  in  promoting  the  designs 
of  the  Overseers  by  accepting  the  trust  they  have 
reposed  in  me." 

To  the  President  and  Corporation  :  — 

"  REV.  SIR,  —  I  sensibly  feel  the  honor  dorle  me 
by  the  Corporation  of  Harvard  College  in  electing 
me  a  professor  of  Anatomy  and  Surgery  in  the 
University  at  Cambridge,  and  wish  them  to  accept 
my  warmest  thanks  for  their  attention.  After  so 
public  spirited  an  exertion  as  has  already  been 
made  by  the  governors  of  that  University  for  the 


1782.]  PROFESSOR    OF    CHEMISTRY.  255 

advancement  of  medical  science,  it  would  ill  be- 
come me  as  a  student  and  practitioner  in  that  par- 
ticular branch  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  to  refuse 
my  mite  towards  the  promotion  of  so  generous  a 
design.  With  a  mind  therefore  impressed  with 
the  importance  of  that  object,  I  think  it  my  duty 
to  declare  my  acceptance  of  the  trust  reposed  in 
me,  relying  upon  you  to  place  that  candid  construc- 
tion on  my  conduct  in  the  execution  of  my  duty,  to 
which  I  know  I  may  safely  appeal,  from  men  of 
liberal  minds." 

Thus  the  whole  superintendence  of  the  medical 
institution  fell  upon  my  father.  He  strongly  urged 
the  expediency  of  filling  the  other  branches,  and 
on  the  twenty-fourth  of  December,  Dr.  Benjamin 
Waterhouse  was  chosen  Professor  of  the  Theory 
and  Practice  of  Physic.  He  was  a  townsman  and 
friend  of  my  mother,  was  considered  a  young  man 
of  talents  and  attainments,  and  had  received,  as  we 
have  said,  a  foreign  education.  He  was  a  ready 
writer  and  obtained  much  influence  by  the  use  of 
his  pen. 

On  the  twenty-second  of  the  following  May,  Dr. 
Aaron  Dexter  was  chosen  Professor  of  Chemistry 
and  Materia  Medica.  He  was  through  life  the  in- 
timate friend  of  my  father.  He  was  doubtless  the 
best  qualified  of  any  one  at  that  time  for  this  pro- 
fessorship. He  seems  to  have  been  a  better  theo- 
rist than  a  practical  chemist,  for  he  frequently  had 
occasion  to  remark  to  his  class  :  "  Gentlemen,  the 
experiment  has  failed."  He  assured  them,  how- 


256  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

ever,  that  as  they  had  seen  the  principle,  they  could 
repeat  the  experiment  in  their  own  rooms  with 
better  probable  success.  It  may  not  have  been 
easy  at  that  -period  to  obtain  good  materials. 
It  is  very  possible  that  the  very  failure  might  have 
fixed  the  principle  better  in  their  minds  than  the 
success  would  have  done.  If  he  fully  elucidated 
the  general  principles  of  the  science,  it  was  cer- 
tainly better  than  the  performance  of  successful 
experiments,  without  the  illustration  of  those  prin- 
ciples. His  inventive  ingenuity,  or  his  infelicity  in 
carrying  chemical  principles  into  practice,  led  to 
some  unfortunate  results ;  as  in  the  invention  of 
sugar  mortar,  for  example.  The  addition  of  a  cer- 
tain proportion  of  sugar  into  the  mortar  used  for 
building,  was  to  give  additional  hardness  and  dura- 
bility. Unfortunately  for  those  who  were  induced 
to  use  it  in  building,  it  was  soon  found  to  crumble 
away. 

Dr.  Warren  and  Dr.  Waterhouse  were  inducted 
to  their  offices  on  the  7th  of  October,  the  follow- 
ing year.  The  ceremony  was  performed,  and  the 
oath  or  affirmation  taken  in  the  meeting-house. 
Inaugural  discourses  were  read  before  the  Gover- 
nors of  the  University,  the  students,  and  other  at- 
tendants. Dr.  Dexter  having  been  absent  at  the 
time,  was  afterwards  inducted  before  the  Overseers 
and  Corporation. 

Previous  to  the  commencement  of  the  lectures, 
a  question  arose  as  to  whether  there  should  be  any 
rule  of  precedency  among  the  professors.  To  ob- 
tain information  upon  the  general  usages  in  this 


1783.]  PRECEDENCY    OF   MEDICAL   PROFESSORS.  257 

respect,  Dr.  Warren  addressed  a  letter  to  the  son 
of  Dr.  Shippen,  who  was  then  in  Boston. 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  You  will  oblige  me  by  being  so 
kind  as  to  inform  me  whether  there  is  any  prece- 
dency in  rank  among  the  medical  professors  of  the 
University  at  Philadelphia,  and  what  the  order  of 
that  precedency  is  ?  Also  what  principle  that  ar- 
rangement is  established  upon.  Whether  upon 
seniority  of  age,  graduation,  or  in  practice  ;  or 
upon  the  usages  and  customs  of  foreign  universi- 
sities,  etc.  J.  WARREX." 

"BOSTON,  February  10,  1783. 

"  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  have  received  your  billet  of  the 
7th  ult.,  and  will  with  pleasure  answer  you  the 
questions  contained  in  it,  as  precisely  as  I  can. 

"  To  the  first  question,  I  can  positively  answer 
that  there  now  exists  a  precedency  in  rank  amongst 
the  medical  professors  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  that  this  precedency  is  coeval  with 
the  Institution  itself.  The  Professor  of  Anatomy 
sits  on  the  right  hand  of  the  Provost,  and  is  con- 
sidered the  first.  Next,  the.  Professor  of  Theory 
and  Practice  of  Physic,  and  so  on. 

"  The  next  question  cannot  be  so  satisfactorily 
answered  at  present,  but  'tis  my  belief  that  this  or- 
der of  precedence  has  always  been  the  same.  In 
that  case,  it  must  be  in  pursuance  of  the  custom  of 
European  universities,  as  the  Professors  of  Anatomy 
and  Theory  and  Practice  are  of  the  same  age  in 
the  practice  of  physic. 

"  The  Anatomical  Professor's  fee  is  five  half  joes, 

17 


258  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  29, 

and  the  other  professors  six  pistoles.     Your  request 
shall  be  complied  with. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  dear  sir, 

"  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"  THOMAS  LEE  SHIPPEN." 

"  PHILADELPHIA,  March  10,  1783. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  I  promised  you  when  I  left 
Boston,  that  I  would  inform  you  respecting  the  or- 
der of  precedency  among  the  medical  professors  in 
our  University,  as  soon  as  I  got  to  Philadelphia. 

"'Tis  in  discharge  of  this  promise  that  I  now 
take  the  liberty  to  address  you.  I  find,  upon  in- 
quiry, that  this  precedence  in  Europe  as  in  America, 
has  always  depended  upon  seniority  of  appoint- 
ment, and  that  when  it  has  happened  that  two  pro- 
fessors were  appointed  at  the  same  time,  they  were 
considered  as  equal,  without  any  superiority  or 
preference.  Dr.  Monroe,  the  Anatomical  Professor 
at  Edinburgh,  is  called  the  first  professor,  but  it  is 
entirely  owing  to  his  being  the  oldest. 

"  You  will  oblige  me  in  making  my  compliments 
to  your  lady  and  Miss  Warren,  as  well  as  to  my 
friends  Lincoln  and  Gore.  My  father  begs  me  to 
assure  you  of  his  esteem  and  good  wishes  for  your 
prosperity  and  success. 

"  I  am,-  dear  sir,  etc., 

"  THOMAS  LEE  SHIPPEN." 

These  two  letters  are  interesting  as  being  writ- 
ten by  the  only  son  of  Dr.  William  Shippen,  a 
young  man  of  extraordinary  talents  and  attain- 
ments, whose  qualifications  had  obtained  the  re- 


1783.]        DEVOTED  ATTACHMENT  OF  FATHER  AND  SON.       259 

gard  and  affection  of  men  so  different  as  Washing- 
ton, Jefferson,  and  President  Adams,  and  while  in 
London  had  become  intimate  with  Lord  Shelburne. 
The  attachment  between  son  and  father  is  said  to 
have  been  seldom  equalled.  The  latter  "  seemed 
to  lose  sight  of  himself,  and  forget  that  he  also  had 
a  part  to  act,  so  fully  was  his  attention  absorbed 
by  this  endeared  object.  His  strongest  wish  was  to 
pass  the  remainder  of  his  life  as  his  son's  guest. 
He  therefore  gave  him  the  fairest  portion  of  his 
estate. 

Such  devoted  attachments  as  this,  between  father 
and  son,  are  seldom  destined  to  be  lasting,  nor  are 
such  prospects  often  realized.  Such  brilliant  tal- 
ents may  be  wanted  elsewhere.  It  may  be  a  wise 
decree  of  Providence  for  leading  the  survivor's 
thoughts  and  affections  to  dwell  upon  and  make 
preparation  for  a  better  state  ;  or  it  may  be,  and 
too  often  really  is  the  case,  that  the  early  seeds  of 
disease  may  produce  an  abnormal  development  of 
genius,  and,  at  the  same  time,  produce  a  softness 
and  grace  of  disposition  which  is  universally  at- 
tractive. 

However  this  may  be,  in  1792,  young  Shippen's 
health  began  to  fail.  In  vain  did  his  father  devote 
almost  his  whole  time  to  him,  and  consult  at  differ- 
ent times  all  his  medical  friends.  After  much  .suf- 
fering, he  died  in  1792. 

In  June,  1792,  after  several  preparatory  meet- 
ings, the  first  regular  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society  was  held.  The  society  was  organ- 
ized, appointed  a  president,  the  members  were  en- 


260  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

joined  to  communicate  important  cases,  and  the 
faculty  at  large  invited  to  familiar  correspondence. 
The  number  of  Fellows  was  originally  limited  and 
confined  to  seventy. 

The  most  important  province  of  the  society, 
next  to  that  of  cultivating  good  feeling  and  diffus- 
ing medical  knowledge  among  its  members,  con- 
sisted in  its  authority  to  examine  and  license  can- 
didates for  the  practice  of  medicine.  The  regula- 
tions adopted  by  the  society  required  the  candidate 
to  testify  a  competent  knowledge  of  geometry, 
Greek,  Latin,  and  experimental  philosophy.  A 
course  of  medical  reading  was  prescribed,  and 
subsequently,  three  years  of  study,  under  direction 
of  a  competent  physician,  and  attendance  upon  his 
practice. 

The  first  licentiate,  Nathaniel  Parker,  was  ad- 
mitted this  year.  So  long  as  there  existed  no  other 
power  in  the  State  to  confer  licenses,  the  privilege 
was  a  valuable  one  ;  but  after  the  establishment  of 
the  medical  school,  and  its  ascertained  power  to 
confer  degrees,  there  occurred  a  serious  collision 
with  that  body,  as  will  be  seen  hereafter. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

1782. 
FREEMASONRY.        DR.  WARREN   GRAND    MASTER. 

Freemasons.  —  Dr.  Warren   Grand  Master.  —  Charge.  —  Treaty  of 
Peace.  —  Society  of  Cincinnati.  —  Samuel  Adams'  Opinion. 

the  sixth  of  December,  1782,  my  father  was 
chosen   Grand   Master   of  the   Massachusetts 
Lodge  of  Free  Masons. 

The  St.  Johns'  Grand  Lodge  (or  Lodge  of  Modern 
Masons)  had  existed  in  Boston  from  the  vyear 
1733,  or  anno  lucis  5733.  But  in  1735,  a  number  of 
Masons  who  had  been  initiated  in  the  Ancient 
Lodges  abroad,  wished  to  form  an  Ancient  Grand 
Lodge  in  Boston.  A^  dispensation  was  obtained 
from  the  Grand  Master  of  Scotland,  Shotto  Charles 
Douglas,  Lord  Aberdour,  and  at  a  festival  held  on 
the  twenty-seventh  of  December,  anno  lucis  5769,  a 
commission  was  read  from  George,  Earl  of  Dal- 
housie,  then  Grand  Master,  appointing  Joseph 
Warren  Grand  Master  of  Masons  in  Boston,  and 
within  one  hundred  miles  of  the  same.  A  com- 
mission bearing  date  March  third,  5773,  was  sub- 
sequently issued  by  Patrick,  Earl  of  Dumfries, 
Grand  Master,  appointing  Joseph  Warren  Grand 
Master  of  Masons  for  the  Continent  of  America. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Revolutionary  War  dis- 


262  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

persed  the  Masons,  many  of  whom  "belonged  to 
the  English  army ;  but  on  the  discovery  of  the  re- 
mains of  their  late  Grand  Master,  on  the  eighth  of 
April,  1776,  a  large  and  respectable  number  of  the 
brethren,  with  their  late  grand  officers,  assembled 
to  attend  his  obsequies,  and  followed  in  procession 
from  the  State  House  to  the  Stone  Chapel,  where  a 
eulogy  was  delivered,  as  before  mentioned,  by 
brother  Perez  Morton.  We  are  told  that  it  was 
owing  to  the  pious  regard  to  the  memory  of  their 
late  Grand  Master,  that  a  search  was  made  soon 
after  the  evacuation  of  Boston  by  the  British, 
which  resulted  in  the  discovery  of  the  remains. 

On  the  subsequent  March,  a  regular  meeting 
was  held  once  .  more ;  and  now  after  republican 
fashion  :  "  The  political  head  of  this  country  hav- 
ing destroyed  all  connection  and  correspondence 
between  the  subjects  of  these  States,  and  the  coun- 
try from  which  the  Grand  Lodge  originally  derived 
its  commissioned  authority,  and  the  principles  of 
the  craft  inculcating  submission  to  the  commands  of 
the  civil  authority  of  the  country  they  reside  in, 
the  brethren  did  assume  an  elective  supremacy, 
and  under  it.  chose  a  Grand  Master  and  Grand 
officers,  and  erected  a  Grand  Lodge,  with  independ- 
ent powers  and  prerogatives,  to  be  exercised,  how- 
ever, on  principles  consistent  with  and  subordinate 
to  the  regulations  pointed  out  in  the  constitutions 
of  ancient  Masonry." 

Joseph  Webb,  who  succeeded  General  Warren  as 
Grand  Master,  nominated  John  Warren  as  his  suc- 
cessor, and  he  was  unanimously  elected.  At  the 


1782.]  MASONIC    CHARGE.  263 

festival  on  the  24th  of  June,  the  Rev.  John  Elliot 
preached  a  sermon  at  the  Stone  Chapel,  and  Dr. 
Warren  gave  the  charge.  The  festival  was  cele- 
brated at  Faneuil  Hall.  I  shall  only  give  here  one 
passage  from  this  charge,  which  has  reference  to 
the  female  portion  of  his  audience.  The  whole 
charge  will  be  given  at  the  end  of  the  volume. 

"  A  Free  and  accepted  Mason  can  never  be  in- 
sensible to  the  charms  of  that  part  of  our  species, 
without  which  the  globe  itself  would  be  to  us  a 
void ;  nor  can  we  forbear  to  avow  the  regret  we 
feel  in  being  deprived  of  their  society  in  our  lodges, 
but  as  it  would  give  us  infinite  pain  to  see  the  ten- 
der sex  encountering  the  fatigues  and  labors  of  the 
masonic  art,  we  console  ourselves  with  bestowing 
upon  them  the  fruits  arising  from  our  toils  and  in- 
dustry ;  and  it  will  suffice  to  observe  that  they,  too, 
well  know  the  relation  subsisting  between  friend- 
ship and  love,  and  are  too  sensible  that  a  heart 
which  is  enraptured  with  the  symmetry  of  nature, 
cannot  be  callous  to  the  more  captivating  charms 
of  mental  virtue —  to  admit  of  a  belief  that  want  of 
confidence  in  them  induced  their  exclusion. 

"  To  conform  the  heart  and  manners  to  the  re- 
fined sentiments  of  a  virtuous  mind  ;  to  warm  the 
soul  with  the  real  feelings  of  humanity ;  in  fine,  to 
merit  the  esteem  and  favor  of  the  fair;  to  soothe 
their  cares  and  mitigate  their  pains,  are  amongst 
the  great  objects  of  our  noble  institution  ;  and  it 
is  a  sacred  truth  that  the  more  sublime  the  degrees 
to  which  we  attain  in  Free  Masonry,  the  more 
highly  shall  we  admire  their  excellences,  and  the 
more  zealously  employ  our  efforts  in  their  service." 


264  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AoE  29. 

"  To  conclude;  may  the  great  Architect  of  Na- 
ture, and  the  Supreme  Grand  Master  of  the  Uni- 
verse ever  preside  in  our  assemblies ;  and  whilst 
we  sit  around  the  social  board  in  celebration  of  this 
annual  festival,  may  peace,  and  harmony,  and  mirth 
abound. 

"  For  God  is  paid  when  man  receives. 
To  enjoy  is  to  obey." 

My  father  continued  his  interest  in  this  institu- 
tion through  life.  On  the  second  of  April  in  1792, 
he  was  appointed  chairman  of  a  committee  "  with 
full  power  to  consider  and  compile  a  book  of  Con- 
stitutions containing  all  things  necessary  for  the  use 
of  the  fraternity."  This  work  was  undertaken  and 
carried  through  with  such  diligence  that  it  was 
ready  for  publication  and  received  the  sanction  of 
the  Grand  Master  and  Grand  Wardens  on  the  tenth 
of  May  following.  The  Rev.  Thaddeus  Mason 
Harris,  Librarian  of  the  University  of  Cambridge, 
was  appointed  to  superintend  the  publication. 

Those  who  witnessed  the  laying  of  the  corner- 
stone of  the  Bunker  Hill  Monument  in  1825,  one 
of  the  last  great  displays  of  Masonry,  will  recollect 
the  figure  of  the  venerable  Dr.  Harris,  as  he  walked 
in  the  procession  as  Grand  Chaplain. 

This  work  is  dedicated  to  "our  illustrious  brother, 
George  Washington,  the  friend  of  Masonry,  of  his 
country,  and  of  man." 

That  such  men  as  Washington,  Lafayette,  Joseph 
Warren,  were  friends  of  Masonry,  is  primd  facie 
evidence  of  the  purity  of  the  institution.  The  two 
grand  pillars  which  support  the  fabric  were  rep- 


1782.]  MASONRY.  265 

resented  as  "  Piety  towards  God,  the  glorious  mas- 
ter and  builder  of  the  Universe,  and  Love  to  Man- 
kind." While  the  Mason  promised  to  befriend  and 
relieve  with  unhesitating  cordiality  every  brother 
who  needed  assistance,  —  remind  him  in  the  most 
tender  manner  of  his  failings,  and  aid  in  his  refor- 
mation ;  to  vindicate  his  character  when  wrongfully 
traduced,  and  suggest  in  his  behalf  the  most  can- 
did and  favorable  explanations,  —  he  was  strongly 
enjoined  to  do  good  unto  all ;  to  practice  strict 
temperance,  obedience  to  rulers;  and  above  all 
things,  to  cultivate  benevolence  and  charity. 

We  see  that  Masonry  was  intended  to  support, 
as  its  highest  object,  the  two  grand  principles  of 
Christianity,  Love  to  God  and  Man ;  and  to  carry 
them  out  into  trie  most  exalted  views  of  love  of 
country  and  obedience  to  rulers  ;  a  chivalrous  de- 
votion and  reverence  for  the  feebler  sex,  and  a 
generous  sympathy  for  all. 

This  is  more  than  sufficient  answer  to  one  of  the 
aspersions  against  the  society,  that  a  public  officer 
or  juryman  would  promote  the  escape  of  a  felon 
because  he  was  a  brother  mason.  Love  of  order, 
obedience  to  rulers,  all  the  grand  principles  of  the 
craft,  would  be  violated  by  so  doing.  Has  it  ever 
been  supposed  that  Washington  suffered  a  criminal 
to  escape,  because  he  was  a  Mason,  or  would  he 
have  pardoned  Andre  had  he  made  an  appeal  to 
him  as  a  brother? 

»  A  provisional  treaty  of  peace  betwreen  England 
and  America  was  signed  at  Paris  on  the  thirtieth 


266  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  |AGE  29. 

of  November,  1782,  and  made  definitive  on  the 
thirtieth  of  November  in  the  succeeding  year. 
The  former  was  announced  to  Congress  on  the 
20th  of  January. 

On  the  first  of  May,  by  suggestion  of  General 
Knox,  the  officers  of  the  army  met  together  and 
agreed  to  form  a  society.  Eight  years  of  inter- 
course, during  which  they  had  been  exposed  to 
common  hardships  and  sufferings,  and  exulted  in 
common  over  well  earned  success,  had  endeared 
them  to  each  other,  and  they  naturally  felt  re- 
gret at  their  approaching  dissolution.  They  there- 
fore agreed  to  form  a  brotherhood  under  the 
name  of  the  "  Cincinnati,"  intended  to  keep  up  a 
friendly  connection  with  each  other  so  long  as 
they  lived,  and  which  should  descend  to  their 
children  in  a  direct  line  as  long  as  any  of  their 
posterity  remained ;  the  elder  son  taking  the 
place  of  his  father.  Each  officer  was  to  contribute 
one  month's  pay,  to  be  used  as  a  fund,  for  the 
subsistence  of  the  destitute  only,  among  the  fam- 
ilies of  their  members  and  their  descendants. 

This  plan  met  with  the  warm  approbation  of 
General  Washington,  who  was  chosen  first  presi- 
dent, to  remain  in  office  till  the  general  meeting 
of  the  society,  which  was  to  be  held  in  May,  1784. 
The  society  was  to  have  Insignia  entitled  the 
Order  of  the  Cincinnati. 

It  is  perfectly  astonishing,  at  the  present  'time, 
how  great  jealousy  and  suspicion  this  simple  or- 
ganization created  ;  though  at  that  time  the  pop- 
ular detestation  of  royalty  and  aristocracy  was  not 


782. J  ORDER    OF   THE    CINCINNATI.  267 

so  great  as  it  subsequently  became  from  the  con- 
tagion of  the  French  Revolution.  My  father  in 
his  Masonic  Charge,  before  a  mixed  audience, 
while  commending  Masonry,  repeatedly  styles  it  a 
"  royal  institution,"  without  fearing  that  the  term 
would  confer  opprobrium.  But  there  were  men 
who  thought  they  saw  in  the  insignia,  the  descent 
to  the  eldest  son,  and  the  means  for  raising  a  fund, 
the  first  steps  towards  an  order  of  nobility. 

Among  the  most  excited  of  these  was  Samuel 
Adams.  In  a  letter  to  Mr.  Gerry,  he  says,  "  I  ob- 
serve by  the  inclosed  paper,  that  the  Cincinnati 
in  Congress  assembled  are  to  meet  in  Philadelphia 
the  fifth  of  May,  and  that  General  Washington  is 
to  preside.  That  gentleman  has  an  idea  of  the 
nature  and  tendency  of  the  order  very  different 
from  mine,  otherwise  I  am  certain  he  never  would 
have  given  it  his  sanction.  I  look  upon  it  to  be 
as  rapid  a  stride  towards  an  hereditary  military 
nobility,  as  ever  was  made  in  so  short  a  time." 

The  Legislature  of  Massachusetts  commenced 
the  opposition,  which  extended  through  the  other 
States.  The  judgment  and  coolness  of  Washing- 
ton, however,  allayed  the  storm,  some  slight  mod- 
ifications were  made,  the  society  preserved  its  ex- 
istence, and  has  continued  in  its  placid  and  chari- 
table course  to  this  day. 

The  dangers  to  a  nation  which  are  the  most 
feared^  are  the  least  likely  to  happen.  Military 
glory  is  the  most  dazzling  in  itself,  and  is  the 
cheapest  course  to  fame.  Perhaps  the  combination 
of  profound  statesmanship  with  great  military  skill, 


268  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  29. 

I 

forms  the  greatest  attribute  of  genius.  Prompti- 
tude, decision,  watchfulness,  above  all,  unvaried 
coolness  and  the  power  to  command,  to  obtain  in- 
stant obedience,  are  indispensable,  especially  under 
a  republican  form  of  government.  Mere  routine 
or  mere  impetuosity  may  win  a  fight ;  but  to  con- 
duct a  mighty  war,  the  highest  order  of  talent  is 
demanded.  It  is  vain  to  attempt  to  depreciate 
military  fame.  The  same  skill  and  knowledge  of 
human  nature,  above  all,  the  same  patience  and 
hardihood  against  personal  attacks,  and  against 
the  impatient  efforts  of  those  who  would  hurry  a 
commander  on  to  action,  when  more  can  be  gained 
by  delay,  are  equally  important  in  a  chief  magis- 
trate and  in  the  commander  of  an  army. 

In  our  country,  a  popular  military  leader  is  too 
closely  watched  ;  he  excites  too  much  jealousy  j 
he  has  too  many  rivals  to  allow  him  to  become 
dangerous.  Not  even  Washington  could  have  es- 
tablished a  despotism,  had  he  been  so  disposed. 
Still  less  could  Andrew  Jackson.  If  it  ever  does 
take  place,  it  will  be  preceded  by  years  of  anarchy. 

The  dangers  of  this  country  have  been  proved 
to  be  very  different.  A  peace  of  fifty  years  —  for 
the  Mexican  war,  not  very  popular  at  the  North, 
hardly  disturbed  the  quiet  of  the  country,  and 
certainly  did  not  encourage  a  warlike  spirit  —  had 
brought  contempt  upon  military  affairs ;  and  the 
rising  generation  seemed  to  think  that  war  was  a 
thing  of  the  past.  They  supposed  that  civiliza- 
tion had  advanced  so  far,  that  the  love  of  acquisi- 
tion had  become  so  great,  and  the  cost  of  war  so 


1782.]  THE    CINCINNATI.  269 

well  understood,  that  the  sword  might  actually 
be  beaten  into  the  ploughshare,  and  the  spear  into 
the  pruning  hook.  But  up  to  the  peace  of  1783, 
the  country  had  always  been  in  a  state  of  warfare. 
First  the  incessant  warfare  with  the  Indians,  and 
afterwards  the  French  war,  excited  and  kept  up 
the  military  spirit  as  essential  to  the  very  exis- 
tence of  the  country. 

Whatever  may  have  been  my  father's  opinion 
of  the  institution  of  the  Cincinnati,  prudential 
motives  as  well  as  limited  means  prevented  him 
from  becoming  a  member,  although,  having  served 
through  the  war,  his  name  is  upon  the  list  of  those 
entitled  to  membership. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1782-1783. 
SHAY'S  REBELLION. 

Peace,  Troubles,  Lawsuits.  —  Pure  Democracy.  —  Extract  from 
Dr.  Warren's  Speech.  —  Riots  at  Northampton.  —  Eli  Shay.  — 
Fourth  of  July  Oration,  1  783.  —  English  Feeling. 


country  had  now  won  a  glorious  peace,  and 
established  her  independence.  Now  then,  her 
soldiers  ought  to  be  able  to  retire  to  their  homes 
in  the  enjoyment  of  a  competence  and  the  honor- 
able distinction  they  had  won  ;  her  citizens  culti- 
vate the  arts  and  sciences,  practice  their  professions, 
and  exercise  their  industry  in  mechanical  pursuits, 
or  in  the  cultivation  of  land. 

But  this  could  not  exactly  take  place.  A  debt 
of  two  hundred  millions  had  been  incurred;  the 
army  was  to  be  disbanded,  throwing  out  of  em- 
ployment a  vast  number  of  people  whose  habits 
during  an  eight  years'  war  had  become  unfavor- 
able to  the  quiet  labors  of  civil  life. 

Upon  disbanding  the  army,  Congress  had  de- 
cided that  full  pay,  for  five  years  for  the  officers, 
should  be  substituted  for  half  pay  for  life.  It  was 
a  most  perplexing  question,  —  one  of  -the  greatest 
difficulty,  —  how  to  raise  the  money  for  paying 
this  amount,  and  the  accrued  interest.  The  war 


1"83.]  TROUBLES.       LAWSUITS.  271 

had  originated  in  opposition  to  taxation,  and  hence 
taxation  was  utterly  obnoxious. 

For  what  had  they  incurred  all  the  loss  and 
hardships  of  a  protracted  war,  it  might  be  said,  if 
they  were  to  be  obliged  to  pay  heavier  taxes  than 
before  ? 

Private  debts  had  accumulated,  and  the  resort 
to  law  for  the  payment  of  those  debts,  was  a 
source  of  great  trouble.  In  Massachusetts  in  1782, 
more  than  two  thousand  actions  were  entered  in 
Worcester  County  alone.  The  costs  of  suit  had 
accumulated,  and  it  was  asserted  that  the  lawyers, 
who  had  greatly  multiplied,  were  growing  rich  at 
the  expense  of  their  clients. 

The  importation  of  British  goods  which  flowed 
in  upon  the  cessation  of  war,  was  complained  of 
as  a  source  of  unnecessary  luxury  and  expense. 

Thus  even  before  the  proclamation  of  peace, 
discontents  had  arisen,  especially  in  Massachusetts, 
and  soon  became  formidable  enough  to  give  un- 
easiness to  every  one  who  felt  as  deep  an  interest 
as  Dr.  Warren,  in  the  welfare  of  his  country. 

The  State  Senate  was  also  an  object  of  jealousy 
and  suspicion.  This  too  might  in  time  become  an 
order  of  nobility.  At  any  rate  it  was  expensive 
and  useless.  The  House  of  Representatives,  it  was 
said,  was  more  than  sufficient  to  make  laws  and 
decide  all  public  questions.  That,  perhaps,  was  a 
necessary  evil  ;  a  violation  indeed  of  pure  demo- 
cratic principles,  but  a  necessary  yielding  to  the 
infirmities  of  human  nature. 

In  a  pure  democracy,  all  matters  should  be  de- 


272  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  30. 

cided  by  the  whole  people,  in  general  assembly. 
Every  man,  woman,  and  child,  should  give  their 
vote,  and  even  questions  of  law  and  right  be  de- 
termined, without  the  intervention  of  court,  judges, 
or  lawyers  ;  perhaps,  even,  without  sheriffs,  consta- 
bles, or  executioners.  It  is,  as  the  French  say,  tout 
simple.  It  is  only  necessary  that  every  individual 
should  do  that  which  is  just  and  wise,  and  respect 
the  rights  of  others.  What  need  is  there  of  all  the 
cumbrous  machinery  of  legislators,  magistrates,  and 
lawyers,  who  fatten  upon  the  crimes  and  follies  of 
their  fellow-citizens,  and  are  of  such  immense  ex- 
pense to  the  community  ? 

Perhaps  it  was  well  for  Massachusetts,  as  for  the 
rest  of  the  world,  that  democratic  principles  were 
so  soon  worked  out  to  the  demonstrationem  ad  ab- 
surdum  on  the  stage  of  France.  At  the  time  I  am 
speaking  of,  the  States  were  loosely  held  together 
by  the  articles  of  confederation.  The  Constitution 
was  not  yet  formed.  From  1783  to  1786,  disturb- 
ances were  increasing,  and  the  state  of  things  ex- 
isted which  is  forcibly  described,  from  personal 
recollection,  by  Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  in  his  Faneuil 
Hall  speech  in  1850,  published  in  his  "Biography." 

"  It  has  been  my  lot  to  have  lived  during  a  pe- 
riod when  there  was  no  Constitution  and  no  Un- 
ion ;  when  there  was  no  commerce,  no  manu- 
factures, little  of  agricultural,  or  of  any  of  the  arts, 
calculated  to  make  a  powerful  and  a  happy  people. 
It  was  a  period  when  there  was  no  sound  currency, 
no  confidence  between  man  and  man,  no  harmony 


1783.]  RIOTS   IN   NORTHAMPTON.  273 

in  the  action  of  the  different  States.  It  was  a 
period  when  men's  hands  were  "turned  against 
their  neighbors  ;  when  the  courts  were  beset  by 
armed  men ;  when  law  and  justice  were  trampled 
under  foot ;  when  our  best  towns  and  villages  were 
threatened  with  pillage,  fire,  and  the  sword ;  when 
the  soil  was  polluted  with  the  blood  of  its  own 
citizens.  I  remember  the  unorganized  little  band 
of  fathers  of  families,  who  in  that  emergency  issued 
from  this  place,  feebly  provided  with  arms,  or  oth- 
er means  calculated  to  put  down  a  daring  and 
desperate  rebellion.  What  a  dark  moment  was 
this !  What  a  dreadful  foreboding  arose  in  the 
minds  of  those  who  had  been  expending  their 
labor,  their  treasure,  and  their  blood  for  the  safety 
of  an  unhappy  country  ! " 

As  early  as  1782,  a  riot  occurred  in  Northamp- 
ton, stirred  up  by  a  disappointed  and  unprincipled 
clergyman,  of  the  name  of  Ely.  He  was  arrested, 
but  was  rescued  by  his  followers,  three  of  whom 
were  seized  and  sent  to  prison.  A  mob  of 
three  hundred  assembled,  to  effect  the  libera- 
tion of  these  men.  The  militia,  to  the  amount  of 
twelve  hundred,  were  called  out  for  the  defence 
of  the  jail,  but  their  commander  was  induced  to 
yield  to  the  demands  of  the  mob,  and  the  prisoners 
were  released  upon  the  condition  of  their  surren- 
der upon  order  of  the  court.  They  were  subse- 
quently pardoned,  and  this  lenity  encouraged  the 
fomentation  of  other  disturbances,  which  came  to 

18 


274  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  30. 

a  head  in  the  breaking  out  of  the  rebellion  of 
Shays,  in  1786. 

At  the  period  which  he  describes,  John  C.  War- 
ren was  only  eight  years  old,  arid  the  vivid  impres- 
sion made  upon  his  mind,  affords  the  strongest 
evidence  of  the  intense  interest  and  anxiety  which 
his  father  felt  and  manifested.  He  called  upon 
even  his  youngest  children  to  share  his  feelings, 
and  witness  the  outpouring  of  his  spirit  upon  the 
dangers  and  fearful  license  of  the  country.  His 
peri  and  his  voice  were  active,  and  when  the  time 
came,  he  could  not  refrain  from  changing  the  am- 
putating knife  for  the  sword. 

He  does  not  seem  to  have  felt  any  of  the  love 
which  his  children  had  for  the  wreapons  of  war. 
He  had  probably  seen  too  much  of  their  serious 
and  fatal  use  to  love  them  for  themselves,  or 
associate  them  with  matters  of  pleasure  or  ro- 
mance. He  had  also  a  nervous  horror  of  the 
danger  of  their  use,  as  playthings.  When  it  was 
necessary,  he  provided  himself  with  arms  suitable 
for  the  occasion.  During  the  danger  of  invasion 
in  the  War  of  1812,  he  did  not  rest  until  he  had 
obtained  a  perfect  musket,  fresh  from  the  manufac- 
tory. At  the  time  I  am  speaking  of,  he  purchased 
a  new  sword  for  the  occasion,  and  assisted  in  get- 
ting up  the  little  band  of  "fathers  of  families," 
which  his  son  has  described. 

Notwithstanding  his  distress  at  the  condition  of 
the  country,  this  expedition  was  very  exhilarating 
to  my  father.  It  renewed  the  association  with  old 
companions,  it  revived  military  sensations,  and  the 


i783.|  SHAYS'  REBELLION.  275 

party  left  town  in  high  spirits,  as  if  on  a  pleasure 
excursion. 

Mr.  Barry  says,  "  The  insurgents,  to  the  number 
of  four  hundred,  from  Hampshire  and  Worcester, 
rendezvoused  at  Shrewsbury,  a  few  days  before 
the  opening  of  the  court.  While  thus  posted,  a 
party  of  horsemen,  twenty  in  number,  all  men  of 
large  fortunes,  set  out  to  arrest  them,  but  the  in- 
surgents were  informed  of  their  approach,  and 
removed  to  Holden,  and  from  thence  to  Grafton. 

This  account  of  twenty  horsemen  going  out  to 
arrest  a  party  of  four  hundred  insurgents,  reminds 
one  a  little  of  the  story  of  an  Irishman  in  the  Rev- 
olution, who  brought  in  a  company  of  English 
soldiers,  whom  he  said  he  had  surrounded.  By 
appearing  suddenly  upon  them  from  a  thick  wood, 
and  ordering  them  to  surrender,  they  had  in  fact 
been  seized  with  panic,  and  laid  down  their  arms, 
fully  convinced  that  he  was  supported  by  a  large 
party. 

The  weight  of  character  and  influence  doubtless, 
did  much  to  strike  terror  into  the  insurgent  body. 
They  were  not  prepared  to  resist  the  determined 
attack  of  a  body  of  horse,  however  small  in  num- 
ber, composed  of  men  who  held  an  important 
stake  in  the  Commonwealth,  and  who  had  taken 
conspicuous  parts  in  civil,  if  not  in  military  affairs. 
Such  men  were  more  formidable  to  encounter  than 
an  army  of  militia,  who  might  be  supposed  more 
than  half-inclined  to  sympathize  with  the  insur- 
gents. 

This  party,  which  was  under  the  command  of 


276  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  LAoB  30. 

Col.  Benjamin  Hichborn,  was  afterwards  joined  by 
another  from  Groton,  increasing  the  number  to 
one  hundred.  They  made  two  prisoners,  Parker 
and  Page  ;  and  subsequently  arrested  the  principal 
leader,  Shattuck ;  the  latter,  after  an  obstinate  re- 
sistance. The  party  returned  to  Boston,  after 
having  pervaded  the  country  for  near  fifty  miles, 
and  lodged  their  three  prisoners  in  jail. 

"The  short  time  in  which  this  excursion  was 
performed,"  says  Judge  Minot,  "  and  the  extreme 
severity  of  the  weather,  rendered  the  execution  of 
this  service  as  honorable  to  the  gentlemen  who 
subjected  themselves  to  it,  as  their  motives  in  the 
undertaking  were  commendable.  This  expedition 
was  a  very  important  event.  By  it  the  sword  of 
the  government  was  unsheathed."  They  were 
armed  with  warrants  for  the  arrest  of  the  insur- 
gents, and  thus  evinced  its  determination  to  put 
down  the  insurrection. 

This  rebellion  was  soon  suppressed.  Thirteen 
prisoners  were  condemned  to  death,  others  re- 
ceived sentences  according  to  the  degree  of  their 
offences,  while  one,  a  member  of  the  House  of 
Representatives,  was  adjudged  to  sit  upon  the  gal- 
lows with  a  rope  round  his  neck,  was  fined  fifty 
pounds,  and  bound  over  to  keep  the  peace  for  five 
years. 

It  is  very  probable  that  the  little  band  of  volun- 
teers made  lighter  of  this  affair,  in  order  to  quiet 
the  apprehensions  of  their  families.  However  this 
may  be,  they  seemed  to  regard  it  merely  in  the  light 
of  a  party  of  pleasure.  They  were  men  who  well 


1783.]  SHAYS'  REBELLION.  277 

knew  the  effect  of  prompt  and  bold  measures,  ex- 
erted against  an  undisciplined  body  of  men,  re- 
cently drawn  together.  It  is  recorded  that  it  was 
completely  successful,  and  unattended  with  blood- 
shed. Shattuck  was  severely  wounded,  but  no  one 
was  killed.  At  this  period,  Dr.  Warren  was  the 
father  of  five  living  children,  having  lost  two 
shortly  after  birth. 

In  order  to  give  a  connected  view  of  what  is 
called  Shays'  Rebellion,  it  was  necessary  to  go  on 
some  years  in  advance.  We  must  now  return  to 
the  period,  immediately  succeeding  the  proclama- 
tion of  peace. 

It  is  well  known  that  up  to  the  conclusion  of 
the  war,  it  had  always  been  the  custom  to  com- 
memorate the  anniversary  of  the  Boston  Massacre, 
by  appropriate  ceremonies,  and  an  oration,  partly 
designed  to  keep  up  the  resentment  of  the  people 
against  the  English  government.  Dr.  Welsh  de- 
livered the  last  of  these  orations  on  the  fifth  of 
March,  1783,  and  it  was  then  proposed  that  as  the 
object  of  commemorating  this  day  had  ceased,  that 
of  the  Declaration  of  Independence  should  be 
substituted.  In  a  meeting  held  upon  this  subject, 
James  Otis  presided,  and  it  was  his  last  public  ap- 
pearance. 

Another  meeting  was  held  in  Faneuil  Hall,  and 
it  was  there  announced  that  Dr.  John  Warren 
would  deliver  an  oration  in  Brattle  Street  Church, 
as  soon  as  the  General  Court  had  ended  its  morn- 
ing session  on  the  Fourth  of  July.  The  fact  that 
two  of  the  Fifth  of  March  orations  had  been  de- 


278  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  30. 

livered  by  Joseph  Warren,  the  last  on  the  sixth  of 
March,  1775,  when  the  pulpit  was  in  possession  of 
British  "officers,  and  he  entered  it  by  the  window, 
naturally  suggested  the  brother  of  the  slain  orator 
as  the  proper  person  for  the  present  occasion. 

Dr.  Warren's  answer  to  the  committee,  who 
applied  to  him  for  a  copy  of  his  "  learned  and  ele- 
gant oration,"  as  they  styled  it,  is  characteristic 
and  sincere.  He  says,  "  On  condition  that  the 
honesty  of  my  intentions,  and  the  warmth  of  my 
feelings  on  the  important  event,  which  was  the 
subject  of  this  oration,  may  be  admitted  to  atone 
for  the  imperfections  of  the  performance,  I  deliver 
a  copy  for  the  press." 

The  speaker  indulges  in  no  appeals  to  the 
vanity  and  exultation  of  his  hearers,  in  no  opening 
congratulations  on  the  deeds  which  had  been  done, 
the  hardships  and  sufferings  they  had  undergone, 
of  which  he  could  have  feelingly  spoken  from 
personal  experience.  He  felt  too  seriously  the 
labors  of  the  past,  and  the  dangers  of  the  future. 
None  could  feel  more  deeply  than  he  did,  the 
price  at  which  freedom  had  been  purchased.  No 
one  could  see  more  clearly  the  dangers  of  the 
future,  the  exertions,  the  foresight,  above  all  the 
virtue,  necessary  to  keep  what  had  been  gained. 

He  gives  a  sober  and  succinct  view  of  the 
causes  which  led  the  British  ministry  to  adopt 
those  measures  which  excited  resistance. 

In  conclusion,  he  says  :  "  If  to  the  latest  ages, 
we  retain  the  spirit  which  gave  our  independence 
birth',  if,  taught  by  the  fatal  evils  that  have  sub- 


1783.]  FOURTH    OF   JULY    ORATION.  279 

verted  so  many  mighty  states,  we  learn  to  sacrifice 
our  dearest  interests  in  our  country's  cause,  enjoin 
upon  our  children  a  solemn  veneration  for  her 
laws  as,  next  to  adoration  of  their  God?  the  great 
concern  of  man,  and  seal  the  precept  with  our  last 
expiring  breath,  these'  STARS  that  even  now  en- 
lighten half  the  world,  shall  shine  a  glorious  con- 
stellation in  the  Western  hemisphere,  till  stars  and 
suns  shall  cease  to  shine,  and  all  the  kingdoms  of 
this  globe  shall  vanish  like  a  scroll." 

The  concluding  words  of  this  address  were  no 
vain  oratorical  declamation.  He  had  given  ample 
proof  that  he  was  ready  at  all  times  to  give  his 
life  for  his  country  if  occasion  demanded.  The 
motto  of  his  brother  was  at  his  heart,  "  Dulce  et 
decorum  est  pro  patria  mori."  His  great  character- 
istic through  life  ns  described  by  his  biographers, 
and  which  I  shall  often  have  occasion  to  allude  to, 
was  his  utter  forgetfulness  of  self,  and  the  safety 
and  welfare  of  his  country  was  second  only  to  his 
duty  to  God. 

In  this  oration,  he  shows  that  like  all  the  states- 
men and  patriots  of  his  time,  he  had  deeply  studied 
the  history  of  the  ancient  republics,  and  the  wri- 
ters of  modern  history  and  government ;  and  that 
he  had  deeply  reflected  upon  their  teachings ; 
seeking  to  ascertain  the  causes  of  a  people's  rise 
to  greatness,  as  well  as  those  which  ultimately 
lead  to  their  destruction.  Though  taking  no 
prominent  part  in  public  life,  and  fully  occupied  in 
his  profession,  he  did  not  feel  himself  justified  in 
neglecting  to  inform  himself  fully  upon  every  sub- 


280  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [Ace  30. 

ject  connected  with  the  welfare  and  permanence  of 
those  institutions,  for  which  he  had  labored  and 
suffered. 

Dr.  Warren  shows  from  the  example  of  other 
nations,  both  ancient  and  modern,  that  as  soon 
as  the  prosperity  of  a  state  leads  to  the  acquisi- 
tion of  great  wealth,  and  its  citizens  become  en- 
tirely engrossed  in  the  pursuit  of  arts,  commerce, 
trade,  and  manufactures  ;  when  public  spirit  is  no 
longer  regarded  a  virtue ;  when  patriotism  is 
sneered  at  as  a  thing  which  is  not ;  when  the 
talented  and  the  wealthy  are  no  longer  willing  to 
leave  more  profitable  pursuits  for  public  duties  — 
general  corruption  ensues,  offices  are  bargained 
for  and  purchased ;  the  representatives  of  the 
people  obtain  votes  by  cajolery  and  bribery,  and 
then  sell  their  influence  to  reimburse  themselves ; 
fraud  and  embezzlement  are  resorted  to  to  make 
these  offices  profitable.  Government  falls  into 
the  hands  of  those  whose  motto  is,  "  After  me  the 
Deluge  ;"  whose  highest  aim  is  to  temporize,  com- 
promise with  present  evils,  and  cover  over  those 
seeds  of  destruction  and  decay,  which  in  due  time 
shall  germinate,  and  bring  forth  rich  fruit  after 
their  own  ambition  has  been  satisfied. 

Thus,  as  the  orator  has  said,  a  nation  is  never 
in  so  much  danger  as  when  it  thinks  itself  most 
prosperous.  Men's  minds  and  bodies  become  en- 
ervated by  luxury  and  pleasure ;  they  are  sleeping 
Upon  the  brink  of  a  volcano,  and  it  is  only  an 
eruption  or  an  earthquake  can  arouse  them  to  a 
sense  of  the  necessity  of  self  preservation. 


1783.]  DANGERS    TO   LIBERTY.  281 

If  the  eruption  does  not  come  in  time,  a  hardier 
race  brought  up  in  poverty  and  labor  comes  from 
abroad,  or  rises  up  amongst  them ;  the  people 
loath  to  give  up  the  pursuit  of  gain  and  its  attend- 
ant luxuries,  unarmed,  and  unused  to  the  exer- 
cise of  arms,  compromise,  make  peace,  or  still  more 
fatally  resort  to  purchased  aid  from  abroad,  which 
is  sure  to  subjugate  them  at  no  distant  period. 

Even  at  the  early  period  of  this  oration,  foreign 
goods  had  begun  to  pour  in,  giving  rise  among  the 
needy  classes  to  bitter  complaints  of  luxury  and 
extravagance  ;  so  that  reflecting  patriots  had  rea- 
son to  foresee  future  danger  from  this  source. 

The  European  war  restricting  commerce,  and 
finally  involving  us  in  its  vortex,  produced  a  long 
period  of  poverty  and  deprivation,  and  kept  back 
the  issue  for  a  time.  There  may  be  few  now  liv- 
ing who  remember  the  high  prices,  and  the  conse- 
sequent  deprivation  and  sufferings  of  all  persons 
of  moderate  means  in  1812-1815 ;  when  there 
were  very  few,  if  any,  who  from  necessity  or  pub- 
lic feeling,  did  not  give  up  their  luxuries,  and  con- 
fine themselves  to  little  more  than  the  bare  neces- 
sities of  life.  The  growing  luxury  was  checked, 
and  the  generation  grew  up  and  were  confirmed 
in  the  simple  habits  of  their  ancestors.  But  from 
1815  to  1860,  an  essential  change  had  gradually 
taken  place.  The  earthquake  came,  and  found 
the  whole  nation  sleeping,  in  its  devotion  to  gain 
and  luxury.  It  aroused  nobly  to  the  work ;  but 
at  what  a  fearful  cost  of  its  best  lives  was  it 
redeemed.  I  do  not  say  at  a  cost  of  treasure,  for 


282  LIFE   OF    DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  30. 

the  impulse  given  to  industry  and  energy  has  re- 
sulted in  ten  times  the  amount  of  wealth. 

What  the  present  state  of  things  is,  a  reflect- 
ing mind  may  judge,  when  crimes  that  were  for- 
merly punishable  with  death,  are  now  condoned 
and  spoken  of  with  toleration ;  when  even  mur- 
der is  palliated  because  it  was  provoked ;  when, 
what  forty  years  ago  was  considered  infidelity  and 
blasphemy,  are  daily  published  in  our  newspapers, 
or  discussed  in  private  circles  under  the  head  of 
Advanced  views,  or  at  the  worst,  Radicalism. 

From  the  view  which  Dr.  Warren  has  given  of 
the  causes  of  the  Revolutionary  War,  we  may 
draw  another  inference.  If  England,  even  from 
the  moment  almost  of  the  landing  of  her  colonists, 
looked  upon  them  with  jealous  eyes,  and  as  soon 
as  they  began  to  turn  their  attention  to  manufac- 
tures, feared  their  rising  to  independence  and  ri- 
valry, if  she  early  took  means  to  check  their 
advance,  is  it  probable  that  she  ever  could  or  ever 
can  look  upon  the  increasing  prosperity  of  Amer- 
ica with  joy  ? 

England  is  traditionary  in  all  her  habits  and 
feelings.  It  is  in  vain  for  the  wise  and  the  reflect- 
ing to  say  that  the  prosperity  of  one  country  con- 
tributes to  that  of  all  its  allies ;  that  the  good  of 
the  whole  is  the  good  of  each  nation,  just  as  the 
welfare  of  the  State  contributes  to  the  happiness  of 
the  individual.  No  one  objects  to  the  maxim; 
and  England  and  America  have  so  often  assured 
each  other  of  their  full  conviction  that  the  welfare 
of  each  is  intimately  connected  with  their  mutual 


1783.]  DANGERS   TO   LIBERTY.  283 

prosperity,  that  the  words  have  lost  their  meaning. 
We  know  now,  what  we  might  have  known  before 
the  Rebellion,  that  there  is  an  undercurrent  of 
jealousy  ever  ready  to  break  out  on  a  suitable  oc- 
casion ;  and  unless  she  sinks,  or  has  sunk  to  a  sec- 
ond rate  power,  England  will  ever  be  pleased  at 
anything  which  results  in  the  humiliation  of  the 
United  States. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

1783-1784. 
PROGRESS   OF   THE   MEDICAL   INSTITUTION. 

Medical  Institution.  —  Lectures.  —  Difficulties  with  the  Medical 
Society.  —  Application  to  admit  Students  to  the  Alms-house.  — 
Remonstrances  of  the  Society. — "Extraordinary  Resolutions." 
—  John  Warren's  Memorial  to  the  Legislature. 

1V/TEANWHILE,  the  interests  of  the  new  medical 
institution  made  great  demands  upon  my 
father's  care  and  labors.  The  whole  burden  of 
making  it  successful,  rested  upon  him.  The  pro- 
fessors were  inducted  into  office,  as  already  stated, 
in  1783.  The  first  course  of  lectures  was  deliv- 
ered in  1784,  in  apartments  quite  unfit  for  the 
purpose.  Some  years  afterwards,  the  building 
which  had  been  called  the  Old  Chapel,  at  Cam- 
bridge, was  fitted  up,  and  the  lectures  on  Anatomy, 
Surgery,  and  Materia  Medica,  delivered  there.  Af- 
terwards, accommodations  were  furnished  for  the 
chemical  lectures.  The  building,  however,  was 
too  small  for  the  purposes  required. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  the  manner  in  which 
my  father  interested  the  students,  and  held  them 
in  fixed  attention  during  a  lecture  of  two  hours' 
length ;  for  he  did  not  limit  himself  to  a  fixed  time. 


1783.]]  DB.   WARREN   AS   A  LECTURER.  285 

All  his  biographers  have  attributed  to  him  a  rare  elo- 
quence. I  have  heard  it  described  by  those  who 
heard  him.  His  own  warmth  and  enthusiasm 
communicated  itself  to  his  hearers.  It  was  not  a 
dry  account  of  bones,  muscles,  and  bloodvessels. 
It  was  an  eager  description  of  the  structure  of  a 
wonderful  machine,  such  as  would  be  given  by  an 
enthusiastic  artist,  of  a  complicated  invention  in 
which  he  was  deeply  interested. 

The  number  of  medical  students  who  attended 
the  lectures  was  small,  but  as  the  President  permit- 
ted the  two  elder  classes  to  attend  the  lectures,  the 
rooms  were  well  filled.  We  find  the  first  medical 
graduate  stand  alone  in  the  College  catalogue; 
Gilbert  Pearson,  1789,  Bachelor  of  Arts.  Then 
comes  Nathan  Smith,  in  1790,  with  a  host  of  titles. 
Afterwards  a  single  name  in  each  year,  except  two 
in  1794,  until  1812,  when  there  were  three  who 
received  the  degree  of  M.  D.. 

The  infant  institution  was  doomed  to  encounter 
severe  obstacles  at  the  outset.  One  of  the  original 
articles  contained  the  following  words :  "  That 
every  student  who  on  examination  shall  be  judged 
qualified  to  enter  upon  the  practice  of  surgery, 
shall  have  a  certificate  under  the  seal  of  the  Uni- 
versity, that  he  has  had  a  regular  medical  educa- 
cation,  and  that  on  a  public  examination  he  has 
been  found  qualified  for  such  practice."  This  cer- 
tificate was  to  be  signed  by  the  President,  medical 
professors,  and  the  other  professors  of  the  Univer- 
sity. 

To  this  article,  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Soci- 


286  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  31. 

ety  objected,  and  alleged  that  it  would  operate  as 
an  interference  with  that  body  in  the  letters  testi- 
monial, which  their  censors  were  required  to  give 
to  such  students  of  physic,  as  on  examination 
had  been  found  qualified  for  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine and  surgery. 

A  committee  of  the  Medical  Society  was  appoint- 
ed as  early  as  the  fifteenth  of  October,  1783,  to 
inquire  whether  the  doings  of  any  of  the  literary 
societies  in  this  Commonwealth  did  interfere  with 
the  charter  rights  of  the  Medical  Society  ? 

Another  committee  reported,  "  that,  taking  it  for 
granted  that  a  positive  and  explicit  right  of  exam- 
ining candidates  for  the  practice  of  physic  and 
surgery,  and  licensing  them  therefor,  is,  by  the 
law  of  the  Commonwealth  conferred  upon,  and 
made  the  indispensable  duty  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society,  they  cannot  conceive  it  was  ever 
the  intention  of  the  legislature  to  constitute  two 
heads  or  bodies  for  the  same  thing,  which  in  its 
nature  must  produce  jealousies  and  clashing  of  in- 
terests, and  in  general,  injure  the  cause  of  medical 
learning.'' 

This  report  was  adopted  by  the  Medical  Society, 
and  an  opinion  expressed  in  a  formal  order,  that 
the  interference  tended  to  produce  appeals  by  re- 
jected candidates,  from  one  body  to  the  other ;  and 
a  committee  was  forthwith  appointed  to  prepare 
and  present  a  memorial  to  the  Legislature,  for 
an  explanation  of  the  subject,  to  be  signed  by  the 
president  and  the  recording  secretary. 

A  memorial  was  accordingly  prepared,  stating 


1783.]  DIFFICULTIES   WITH   MEDICAL   SOCIETY.  287 

that  jealousies  and  dissatisfaction  had  arisen  in  the 
society,  from  the  interference  in  question,  the  pro- 
gress of  medical  science  was  retarded,  and  the  be- 
nevolent designs  of  government  in  instituting  the 
society,  in  a  great  measure  frustrated.  They  there- 
fore, request  the  Legislature  to  take  these  circum- 
stances into  consideration,  and  adopt  such  measures 
as  they  shall  think  best  adapted  to  the  removal 
of  these  evils. 

A  fact  that  had  been  communicated  to  the  soci- 
ety, that  the  exceptionable  article  had  been  re- 
pealed by  the  government  of  the  University,  and 
that  the  power  of  universities  to  confer  degrees 
was  inalienably  inherent  in  these  establishments, 
having  on  explanation  of  the  subject  been  satisfac- 
torily ascertained,  all  further  proceedings  were 
suspended,  and  the  two  institutions  have  hence- 
forth exerted  their  respective  functions  in  perfect 
friendship  and  honor  with  each  other,  the  one  in 
teaching,  and  the  other  in  licensing  practitioners 
in  medicine. 

Another  obstacle  soon  occurred,  to  the  desired 
progress  of  the  institution. 

"  The  Corporation,  deeply  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  practical  instruction  to  the  success 
of  a  medical  school,  thought  proper  to  apply  to  the 
overseers  of  the  poor  of  the  town  of  Boston,  for 
their  consent  to  admit  the  medical  professors  to 
the  Hospital  department  of  the  Almshouse,  for  the 
purpose  of  clinical  instruction.  By  this -measure, 
it  was  hoped  that  opportunity  would  be  afforded 
for  teaching  their  pupils  the  theory  and  practice 


288  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOJJN   WARREN.  [ AGE  31. 

of  physic,  and  exemplifying  the  operations  of  sur- 
gery, in  a  manner  which  was  utterly  impracticable 
in  the  town  of  Cambridge. 

u  Proposals  were  accordingly  made  to  the  Board 
of  Overseers,  for  taking  charge  of  the  sick,  and 
presented  with  the  signature  of  President  Willard, 
authorizing  the  transaction,  under  the  date  of  the 
19th  of  April,  1784." 

Dr.  Warren  had  been  appointed  to  the  charge  of 
the  State  sick  in  the  Almshouse,  in  1782.  The 
proposals  excited  the  distrust  of  the  Boston  Medi- 
cal Society,  who,  after  due  discussion,  passed  certain 
votes  which  1  find  labelled  by  my  father,  "  Ex- 
traordinary Resolutions  of  the  Boston  Association." 
As  matter  of  history,  it  seems  proper  to  give  them. 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  Boston  Medical  Society. 
May  3d,  1784 :  Present,  Drs.  Peckar,  Lloyd,  Gard- 
ner, Danforth,  Rand,  Jarvis,  Kast,  Curtis,  Welsh, 
Appleton,  Adams,  Townsend,  Eustis,  Homer,  and 
Whitwell. 

"  Upon  resuming  the  subject  of  last  evening's 
debate,  the  following  vote  passed  unanimously  in 
the  affirmative. 

"  1st.  That  the  annual  choice  of  Physician  to 
the  Almshouse,  has  originated  on  the  part  of  the 
Overseers  of  the  Poor  in  the  laudable  motive  oi 
giving  every  encouragement  in  their  power  to  the 
gentlemen  of  the  faculty  in  this  town  consistent 
with  their  duty  to  the  public. 

"  2d.  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  are  due  to 
the  Overseers,  for  the  solicitude  discovered  by 
that  respectable  board,  on  all  occasions  to  promote 
the  interest  of  its  members.  ' 


1784.J  "EXTRAORDINARY  RESOLUTIONS."  289 

"  3d.  That  our  public  medical  business  has  been 
hitherto  transacted  on  terms  of  perfect  equality,  at 
least  as  far  as  circumstances  and  situations  would 
admit;  and  of  course,  that  if  it  should  be  deemed 
expedient  from  the  consideration  of  benefit  pre- 
sumed to  result  from  the  establishment  of  public 
institutions,  to  teach  the  medical  art  in  this  town, 
that  a  new  system  of  transacting  such  business 
should  be  adopted.  In  that  case,  that  the  same 
principles  of  equality  should  still  be  maintained 
as  far  as  may  be,  and  that  no  one  or  more  mem- 
bers* of  this  society,  ought  in  reason,  or  can  in 
justice,  desire  to  procure  those  advantages  to  them- 
selves to  which  e.very  other  is  equally  entitled. 

"  4th.  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  society  the 
scheme  of  annexing  a  medical  establishment  in 
this  town  to  the  College  in  Cambridge,  is  not  only 
impracticable,  but  nugatory,  as  the  pupils  can 
never  attend  upon  such  an  establishment  at  such 
a  distance,  consistently  with  the  best  regard  to 
discipline  and  good  order,  so  necessary  to  be  ob- 
served in  that  University.  And  that  in  the  opin- 
ion of  this  society,  though  the  good  of  the  Univer- 
sity is  the  pretext,  the  interest  of  the  gentlemen 
concerned  is  the  real  motive  of  their  conduct. 

"  5th.  That  this  society  will  cheerfully  concur  in 
any  reasonable  plan  for  the  promotion  of  medical 
knowledge,  which  undoubtedly  was  one  of  the 
principal  objects  of  its  institution,  but  have  no  idea 
of  this  disposition  being  wrested  to  the  disadvan- 
tage of  the  society  in  general  to  serve  the  purposes 
of  a  few  at  the  expense  of  the  rest. 

19 


290  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  31. 

"  6th.  That  the  argument  of  public  utility  comes 
with  the  worse  grace  from  one  of  those  gentlemen, 
as  his  pecuniary  demands  against  the  government 
for  his  attendance  on  the  State's  poor,  are  more 
than  double  any  that  were  ever  made  in  the  same 
period  for  the  same  business. 

"  7th.  That  the  Faculty  in  general,  and  those 
that  have  not  had  the  care  of  the  Almshouse  in 
particular,  must  necessarily  be  much  injured,  if  the 
plan  of  annexing  that  house  to  the  College  is 
carried  into  effect. 

"  8th.  That  this  society  cannot  be  satisfied,  un- 
less the  gentlemen  referred  to,  do  in  the  most 
explicit  manner  renounce  all  pretensions  as  profes- 
sors to  the  care  of  the  Almshonse. 

"  9th.  That  any  disagreement  or  any  other  ill 
consequence  resulting  from  this  attempt  to  direct 
the  public  medical  business  from  its  usual  channels, 
cannot  be  imputed  to  this  society,  but  must  wholly 
rest  with  the  gentlemen  who  first  originated  this 
difficulty. 

"  10th.  That  if  the  medical  professors  shall  per- 
sist in  the  above  mentioned  attempt,  they  shall  be 
considered  as  having  violated  our  association. 

"  llth.  That  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed 
to  present  to  the  Overseers,  the  first,  second,  and 
fourth  vote  of  this  evening,  and  to  confer  with 
them  on  the  subject,  and  that  Drs.  Gardner,  Jarvis, 
and  Danforth,  were  accordingly  appointed. 

"  A  true  copy,  Attest : 

"  TH.  KAST,  Secretary." 


1784.]  DR.  JOHN  WARREN'S  MEMORIAL.  291 

These  resolutions,  which  may  be  well  called 
"  extraordinary,"  as  proceeding  from  a  grave  body 
of  well  educated  physicians,  seem  drawn  up  with 
more  regard  to  energy,  than  to  elegance  of  style, 
or  to  good  grammar.  One  cannot  help  being  re- 
minded of  a  tempest  in  a  tea-pot.  My  father's 
devotion  to  his  favorite  science,  and  his  earnest 
desire  that  the  medical  student  should  have  every 
advantage  he  could  obtain  for  him,  had  unwit- 
tingly called  down  this  storm  upon  his  head.  This 
biography  would  be  very  imperfect  were  I  to  pass 
over  in  silence  such  matters  as  these,  which  to  my 
father's  sensitive  mind,  for  he  was  "  all  naked  feel- 
ing and  raw  life,"  were  worse  than  the  torments 
of  purgatory.  Yet  entirely  ignoring  his  own  feel- 
ings, he  never  allowed  opposition  to  retard  his 
efforts  for  what  he  was  convinced  was  for  the  good 
of  his  patients  and  the  profession. 

The  subject  of  the  sixth  resolution  might  at  first 
be  deemed  to  refer  to  less  disinterested  conduct. 
But  it  must  be  considered  that,  next  to  his  duty 
to  his  country  and  his  patients,  it  was  necessary 
for  him  to  provide  for  the  demands  of  his  own 
family,  to  the  number  of  which  almost  every  year 
brought  an  increase.  This  sixth  resolution  owes 
its  origin,  probably,  to  an  application  made  by  my 
father  at  this  time  to  the  Legislature,  for  payment 
for  attendance  at  the  Almshouse,  on  the  State 
poor.  The  Memorial  will  speak  best  for  itself.  It 
shows :  — 

"  That  your  memorialist  was  elected  in  the  year 


292  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  31. 

1782,  to  the  medical  care  of  the  State  sick  In  the 
Almshouse  of  this  town,  and  that  no  exceptions 
having  been  stipulated,  he  accepted  the  trust  from 
an  idea  that  the  same  principles  of  charge  and 
payment  were  to  be  observed,  as  had  from  time 
immemorial  been  the  practice.  That  relying  firmly 
on  this  contract,  he  performed  the  services  of 
the  house  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  charged 
therefor  in  exact  conformity  to  established  usage, 
and  that  the  amount  of  the  account  little  exceeds 
the  allowance  made  for  similar  services  twelve 
years  ago,  when  the  number  of  the  sick  was  much 
less  than  at  the  time  in  which  those  services  were 
performed,  when  they  were  exceedingly  numerous  ; 
which  facts  have  been  made  to  appear  to  your 
Committee,  formally  appointed  for  their  examina- 
tion. That  the  said  account  has  been  regularly 
vouched  by  the  Selectmen  of  the  town.  That  it 
has  been  laying  before  the  honorable  Court  for  a 
number  of  years,  in  consequence  of  which  your 
memorialist,  by  the  laying  out  of  his  money,  has 
been  a  great  sufferer. 

"  Your  memorialist,  therefore,  humbly  submits  to 
the  judgment  of  the  honorable  Court,  the  justice 
of  disallowing,  after  the  services  have  been  performed, 
the  principles  implied  in  the  contract,  which  were 
evidently  those  of  established  usage  ;  no  conditions 
of  exception  having  been  mentioned  before  the  per- 
formance of  those  services ;  and  further  humbly  re- 
quests your  Honors  to  take  such  measures  on  the 
case  for  a  final  settlement,  as  your  Honors  in 
your  wisdom  shall  think  equitable.  And  your 
memorialist,"  etc. 


1784.]  SILK    STOCKINGS.  293 

It  might  be  natural  to  suppose  that  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  patients,  and  of  course  in  the 
time  and  labor  of  attendance,  as  well  as  in  the 
amount  of  medicine  consumed,  ought  to  require  a 
higher  amount  of  compensation.  Dr.  Warren's 
demands  seem  perfectly  reasonable,  on  the  ground 
that  no  understanding  to  the  contrary  having  been 
made,  he  ought  to  receive  compensation  for  servi- 
ces and  expenses  in  the  manner  that  had  always 
been  customary.  The  application,  of  which  the 
above  is  a  copy,  however,  was  made  in  1786,  and 
had  been  preceded  by  several  others.  One  of 
these  is  labelled,  "  Another  of  my  useless  petitions 
to  obtain  my  just  rights."  This  one  was  not  more 
successful.  The  compensation  was  so  small,  at 
best,  that  he  states  elsewhere,  a  physician  would 
not  accept  the  office,  were  it  not  for  the  advantage 
to  his  pupils.  It  is  true  that  young  physicians 
can  always  be  found,  who  will  take  such  offices 
merely  for  the  experience  which  they  give,  but  my 
father  had  now  been  over  ten  years  in  practice, 
and  had  well  secured  the  confidence  of  the  commu- 
nity.- The  Legislature,  however,  at  this  time,  were 
perplexed  between  the  numerous  demands  upon 
them,  in  consequence  of  the  war,  the  deranged 
currency,  and  the  odium  of  a  direct  tax.  How 
minute  were  the  matters  which  then  called  for 
their  care,  may  be  seen  by  the  fact  stated  else- 
where, that  when  the  son  of  General  Warren  re- 
quired a  pair  of  silk  stockings  upon  some  remarka- 
ble occasion,  it  was  necessary  to  apply  to  the 
Legislature.  "  A  grateful  country"  had  agreed  to 


294  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  '    [AGE  31. 

provide  for  his  education.  The  expense  was  to  be 
paid  in  the  first  instance,  by  the  State,  which  was 
to  be  reimbursed  by  Congress. 

Whoever  has  had  occasion  to  draw  up  such  a 
petition  to  a  legislature,  or  still  more  to  a  hospital 
or  an  almshouse  board,  must,  I  think,  enjoy  the  fol- 
lowing parody,  which  I  find  in  my  mother's  hand- 
writing. It  is  addressed  to  Congress. 

"  To  the  most  superlatively  magnificent,  the  Continental  Congress. 
"  Ego  sum  pauper,  tu  es  pauperum  benefactor. 

"  GENTLEMEN,  —  With  a  mind  laboring  under  the 
convulsive  pangs  of  strong  convictions,  wrought 
by  the  irresistible  rays  of  your  refulgent  wisdom, 
we  bow  down  our  souls  in  humble  adoration  of 
those  incomprehensible  virtues  and  that  unfathom- 
able abyss  of  knowledge  of  which  the  utmost  stress 
of  human  capacity  is  unable  to  form  an  adequate 
conception.  We  bend  the  knee  and  prostrate  our 

hearts  at  the  footstool  of  your  exalted and 

clothed  with  the  mantle  of  the  most  profound  hu- 
mility, under  the  friendly  vest  of  which  we  take 
refuge  from  the  confusing  influences  of  those  irra- 
diating emanations  which,  like  the  lightning  of 
Omnipotence,  would  instantaneously  reduce  us  to 
our  original  nihility."  .... 

The  rest  is  left  to  the  imagination. 

To  return  to  the  extraordinary  resolutions. 
They  seem  to  be  drawn  out  with  considerably 
more  temper  than  there  was  any  necessity  for,  or 
was  exactly  suited  to  the  dignity  of  the  society. 


1784.]         •  MEDICAL    SCHOOL.  295 

The  affair  does  not  appear  to  have  interrupted  the 
friendly  relations  between  my  father  and  the  other 
members,  with  most  of  whom  he  continued  in  cor- 
dial intimacy  through  life. 

It  is  not  probable,  however,  that  he  continued 
to  attend  the  meetings  of  the  society,  if  any  were 
held,  but  in  fact  after  this  effort,  and  after  the  anx- 
iety of  the  members  was  removed,  the  society  ap- 
pears to  have  slumbered,  until  it  awakened  some 
years  after  in  the  Boston  Medical  Association.  In 
fact,  the  fee  table  being  fixed,  and  the  Massachu- 
setts Medical  Society  formed,  there  was  no  partic- 
ular object  for  the  meetings.  The  Boston  Medical 
Association  was  not  chartered  until  the  year  1810. 

The  opposition  was,  however,  successful.  A  meet- 
ing was  held  between  the  Board  of  Overseers,  and 
the  President  and  medical  professors  of  the  Uni- 
versity ;  but  some  doubts  arising  in  the  mind  of 
the  Board  with  respect  to  the  propriety  of  admit- 
ting the  students  of  the  College  to  the  apartments 
of  the  Almhouse,  the  further  consideration  of  the 
subject  was  for  the  time  suspended. 

This  opportunity  for  clinical  instruction  was 
therefore  lost,  and  the  deficiency  of  this  kind  of 
instruction  retarded  the  advance  of  the  medical 
institution,  and  for  several  years  it  continued  sta- 
tionary. The  lectures  were,  however,  delivered 
annually,  with  as  much  punctuality  as  circum- 
stances would  admit ;  and  excepting  for  a  few  of 
the  first  years,  those  of  the  anatomical  branch 
were  pursued  on  recent  subjects,  notwithstanding 
the  danger  and  labor  involved  in  procuring  them. 


296  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  .   [ AGE  31. 

"  Great  obstacles  were  encountered,  and  much 
prejudice  contended  with  in  the  early  period  of 
the  institution.  The  latter  was  not  surprising, 
considering  the  novelty  of  dissection  in  this  coun- 
try ;  and  the  former  were  evils  necessarily  attend- 
ant on  the  remoteness  of  the  situation  in  which 
the  lectures  were  delivered."  It  must  be  recol- 
lected that  there  was  no  bridge  between  Boston 
and  Cambridge,  the  mode  of  going  from  one  to 
the  other  being  the  Ferry,  which  was  impracticable 
in  stormy  weather,  or  the  road  over  the  Neck, 
through  Roxbury  and  Brookline. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

1784-1785. 
ADDRESS    ON   RESIGNATION    OF   HANCOCK. 

Difficulties  between  the  Medical  College  and  the  Medical  Society.  — 
Hancock's  Resignation.  —  Election  of  Governor. 

TN  the  winter  of  1784,  John  Hancock,  the  first 
"  governor  of  Massachusetts,  who  had  held  that 
office  for  four  years,  declared  his  intention  of  de- 
clining a  reelection  on  account  of  his  health,  which 
had  become  very  infirm.  The  annual  election  was 
then  held  on  the  first  Monday  in  March,  the  gov- 
ernor being  declared  elected,  and  taking  the  oaths 
of  office  on  the  last  Wednesday  in  May,  which  was 
always  a  holiday.  All  the  citizens  of  Boston  as- 
sembled and  voted  at  Faneuil  Hall,  which,  during 
high  party  excitement,  became  the  scene  of  lively 
contention. 

Preparatory  to  this  election,  the  following  ad- 
dress was  written  by  Dr.  Warren,  and  published  in 
one  of  the  daily  papers  : — 

i(To  THE  PEOPLE  OF  THE  COMMONWEALTH  OF  MASSACHUSETTS: 

"  The  glorious  anniversary  upon  the  principles 
of  our  happy  constitution  is  now  arrived,  when  the 
power  of  exercising  the  great  characteristic  right 


298  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  31. 

of  freemen,  that  of  electing  a  proper  person  for 
filling  the  important  station  of  the  first  Magistery 
of  the  Commonwealth,  is  again  to  revert  to  the 
people  from  whence  the  authority  of  that  office 
was  derived. 

"However  limited  the  wisdom  of  the  people 
may  have  rendered  that  authority,  I  cannot  but 
declare  it  as  my  serious  opinion,  that  there  is  not 
a  transaction  more  important  in  the  whole  system 
of  our  republican  constitution,  than  that  by  which 
we  delegate  it. 

"  Little  need  be  said  in  support  of  this  opinion 
to  those  who  will  consider  the  important  influ- 
ence of  national  character  upon  the  opinions  and 
conduct  of  states  and  empires.  The  glory  and 
greatness  of  the  British  nation  was  originally  ac- 
quired by  their  bravery  and  clemency,  and  when 
once  they  became  famed  throughout  the  world, 
for  those  illustrious  virtues,  it  is  easy  to  conceive 
how  much  that  character  must  have  conduced  to 
their  subsequent  successes  and  conquests,  and 
thereby,  to  a  still  higher  and  more  exalted  pitch  of 
glory. 

"  The  man  elected  by  the  free  suffrages  of  an 
independent  people  to  an  office  which  (however 
circumscribed  his  power)  is  the  greatest  that  can  be 
placed  by  them  in  a  single  man;  is- exalted  above 
the  rest,  and  his  conduct  becomes  an  object  of  their 
inquiry,  as  he  is  accountable  to  them  for  the  use 
of  that  power  they  have  invested  him  with  ;  but  as 
that  power  is  but  small,  and  under  such  checks  as 
may  generally  secure  the  public  from  any  evil  to 


1784.]          ADDRESS    ON   RESIGNATION    OF    HANCOCK.          299 

be  apprehended  from  his  maladministration,  the 
credit  and  the  character  of  the  State  over  which 
he  is  placed,  consequently  becomes  a  principal 
object  of  our  reasonable  caution. 

"  In  hereditary  governments,  the  national  char- 
acter may  generally  be  best  learned  immediately 
from  the  people  rather  than  the  prince,  because  the 
artifices  of  courts  usually  disguise  the  prevailing 
passion,  and  the  art  of  dissimulation  effectually  veils 
the  true  character  of  those  who  sustain  the  high 
stations.  But  in  a  republican  elective  government 
like  ours,  the  case  is  far  otherwise.  The  emolu- 
ments of  office  are  not  sufficiently  large  to  induce 
men  to  lay  themselves  under  any  very  great  re- 
straints ;  their  predominant  passions  show  them- 
selves, and  strangers  will  be  enabled  from  them 
to  judge  the  sentiments  of  the  people  by  whose 
voice  they  have  been  elected. 

"  What  opinion  should  we  form  of  a  people  who 
had  appointed  to  govern  them,  a  man  who  was 
totally  destitute  of  honor  and  honesty,  obstinate, 
ignorant,  and  revengeful  ?  Should  we  not  despise 
and  detest  that  people  who  could  thus  prostrate 
their  sacred  liberties;  and  from  inference  of  similar- 
ity in  manners,  entertain  the  most  contemptible 
idea  of  their  heads  and  their  hearts  ?  If,  on  the  other 
hand,  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity  is  invested 
with  the  supreme  power  of  government,  are  we 
not  naturally  inspired  with  respect  and  veneration 
for  the  people  who  evinced  their  approbation  of 
those  virtues,  by  rewarding  them  with  honor  and 
distinction  ? 


300  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  31. 

"  Every  man  who  conscientiously  considers  these 
queries,  will  readily  answer  in  the  affirmative,  and 
agree  with  me  in  the  importance  of  a  free  election. 

"  Let  me  solemnly  caution  you  then,  my  fellow- 
countrymen,  not  to  trifle  with  this  momentous  con- 
cern. Let  me  beg  of  you,  as  you  regard  the  fame 
of  your  country,  on  which  the  eyes  of  a  whole 
world  are  fixed,  let  me  beseech  you  to  choose  a 
man  for  the  government  of  this  Commonwealth, 
whose  character  may  do  honor  to  yourselves. 
Choose  a  man  of  firm,  inflexible  integrity,  a  man 
whose  abilities  may  be  eminently  useful  at  this 
important  juncture  of  our  public  affairs,  a  man 
whose  policy  shall  be  that  of  governing  upon  the 
principles  of  honor  and  justice ;  whom  no  views  of 
personal  attachment  or  private  resentment  shall 
influence  in  the  appointment  to  places  of  power 
and  trust.  A  man  who,  instead  of  vindictively 
persecuting  others  for  their  opinions,  shall  counte- 
nance and  applaud  an  honest  and  manly  opposi- 
tion to  crimes,  however  fashionable  or  however 
dignified.  Choose  a  man  whose  abilities  may 
afford  a  reasonable  presumption  of  a  proper  dis- 
cernment of  the  characters  most  fit  for  confidence 
and  counsel. 

"  I  am  far  from-  thinking  that  hospitality  and 
liberality  are  crimes  in  a  governor,  or  incompatible 
with  the  dignity  of  a  free  and  wise  people,  but  it 
is  by  no  means  necessary  that  profusion  and  prodi- 
gality shall  be  admitted  merely  for  the  sake  of  ac- 
quiring the  esteem  of  strangers.  Economy  and 
industry  have  never  brought  a  nation  into  con- 


1784.]         ADDRESS    ON   RESIGNATION   OF   HANCOCK.          301 

tempt,  but    have  ever  made  them  to  be  served 
and  admired. 

"  Choose,  therefore,  a  man  for  your  governor, 
whose  example  shall  inculcate  the  principles  of  fru- 
gality ;  not  parsimonious  of  hospitality,  not  profuse  ; 
but  above  all  things,  choose  a  man  of  punctuality, 
a  man  who  pays  a  sacred  regard  to  his  word ;  a 
man  who  never  promises  for  the  sake  of  popular- 
ity, but  with  a  full  determination  to  perform,  even 
though  it  be  to  his  own  loss.  Let  it  never  be  said 
that  a  people  who  were  just  obtaining  a  name 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth,  were  so  totally 
lost  to  all  feelings  of  honor  and  reputation,  as  to 
place  in  elevated  stations  men  who  basely  conde- 
scend to  the  meanest  and  most  contemptible  vice 
of  a  dastardly  wretch,  that  of  meanly  falsifying  his 
word. 

"Punctuality  in  private  business  is  ever  con- 
sidered an  essential  qualification  of  a  man  of  honor. 
How  much  more  so,  then,  in  the  most  important 
offices  of  civil  goverment !  Never  let  it  be  said, 
that  a  State  whose  virtue  had  secured  her  the  free 
exercise  of  the  privileges  of  human  nature,  had 
suffered  them  to  be  trampled  upon  by  the  man 
who  should  protect  them. 

"  Finally,  choose  the  man  who  shall  be  ever  ready 
to  attend  to  the  business  of  his  station;  who  shall 
be  disposed  to  do  justice  indiscriminately  to  all, 
without  unnecessary  delay ;  whose  punctuality  in 
private  as  well  as  public  dealings,  shall  be  such 
as  to  afford  no  reason  for  complaint  to  those  who 
have  just  demands  upon  his  attention,  but  who, 


302  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  31. 

from  the  elevation  of  his  office,  may  be  deprived 
of  the  possibility  of  redress. 

"Weigh  these  things  seriously  in  your  minds, 
and  let  your  choice  fall  upon  a  man  resolved  and 
steady  to  his  trust,  inflexible  to  ill,  and  obstinately 
JUST." 

Barry  says  of  Mr.  Hancock,  "  That  he  was  a  man 
of  wealth,  fond  of  display  ;  and  withal  somewhat 
vain  as  well  as  ambitious,  are  facts  which  few  will 
dispute  ;"  nevertheless,  he  "  merited  richly  the  ap- 
proval of  posterity  by  his  manifold  sacrifices  and 
his  generous  devotion  to  the  interests  of  his  coun- 
try." 

Dr.  Warren's  reference  to  hospitality  and  liberal- 
ity, seems  to  point  to  Governor  Hancock,  whom, 
however,  he  had  no  wish  to  censure,  and  the  por- 
trait of  a  candidate  who  should  fulfill  the  requi- 
sitions of  the  time  and  place,  though  no  name  is 
mentioned,  undoubtedly  is  meant  for  Mr.  Bowdoin, 
whose  character  had  been  .long  well  tried,  and  who 
afterwards  ably  stood  the  test,  by  skilfully  piloting 
the  Commonwealth  through  the  dangers  of  that 
very  critical  period. 

Mr.  Bowdoin  was  elected. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

1785-1789. 
DOMESTIC    LIFE. 

Domestic  Life.  —  House,  Carriages,  Furniture.  —  Drying  Specimens 
in  the  Windows.  —  Warren  Museum.  —  Supposed  Dangerous  Well. 
—  Louis  the  Barber.  —  Mountain  his  Successor.  —  Slavery.  —  Cuff 
and  Quaco.  —  Negro  Melodies. 

TN  the  year  1785,  my  father  removed  into  the 
house  in  School  Street,  where  Niles'  Block  now 
is,  forming  the  basis  of  that  building  which  is  now 
occupied  by  shops  and  offices.  Upon  the  side  of 
the  building  next  Washington  Street,  was  a  long, 
capacious  yard,  with  a  large  barn  at  its  extrem- 
ity, and  in  rear  of  this  barn  was  another  inclosure, 
large  enough  for  a  decent  sized  garden.  In  the 
centre  of  this  stood  an  immense  mulberry  tree, 
which  in  its  season  was  filled  with  an  abundance  of 
large,  purple  fruit.  In  rear  of  the  house  was  an- 
other yard  laid  out  in  grass-plots,  and  leading  to  a 
large  garden ;  the  whole  comprising  such  a  liberal 
allowance  of  land,  as  is  now  seldom  found  within 
some  miles  of  the  city,  except  when  employed  for 
farming  purposes.  It  was  not  all  purchased  at 
once,  however,  but  in  separate  portions,  from 
School  Street  nearly  to  Williams'  Court,  into  which 


304  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

there  was  a  back  entrance  from  the  garden,  giving 
ready  access  into  "  Cornhill,"  as  that  part  of  what 
is  now  Washington  Street,  was  then  called. 

My  father  here  found  scope  for  the  exercise  of 
his  hereditary  taste  for  gardening,  and  the  cultiva- 
tion of  fruit  trees.  It  was  shut  in  from  the  cold 
and  winds  by  high  brick  buildings  on  the  north 
and  east.  On  the  side  where  the  City  Hall  now 
stands,  it  was  exposed  to  the  light  and  sun. 

In  this  garden,  Dr.  Warren  was  enabled  to  raise 
fine  peaches,  plums,  sweet  water  grapes,  abundance 
of  cherries  and  almonds.  The  principal  enemy 
was  the  canker-worm,  against  which,  in  their  season, 
he  had  a  hard  fight.  Making  a  clay  basin  around 
the  trees  to  be  kept  filled  with  water,  girdling  the 
trees  with  tarred  strips  of  canvas,  were  the  prevent- 
ive means  employed,  and  nothing  more  effectual 
than  the  latter  has  yet  been  found.  At  the  end  of 
the  garden,  farthest  from  the  house,  and  protected 
at  the  back  by  a  block  of  brick  buildings,  was  a 
good  sized  greenhouse,  which  my  father  filled 
with  choice  plants.  Lemon  and  orange  trees,  and 
other  fine  exotics,  were  in  full  perfection,  when 
one  very  cold  night,  "  Cuff,"  whose  duty  it  was  to 
keep  up  a  fire  in  the  stove,  forgot  or  neglected  to 
do  it,  and  all  the  plants  were  destroyed.  After 
this,  the  greenhouse  was  given  up.  My  father  in 
his  increasing  business  could  not  attend  to  it,  and 
my  mother  found  sufficient  occupation  within  doors 
for  growths  of  a  different  description.  In  my 
earliest  remembrance,  the  greenhouse  was  a  wreck, 
the  glass  gone,  and  the  benches  or  racks  empty. 


1785.J  HOUSE   AND    GARDEN.  305 

My  father,  however,  never  gave  up  the  pleasure 
afforded  him  by  watching  t  over  the  growth  of  the 
trees  and  the  vines.  In  'summer  afternoons  he 
was  never  without  his  priming-knife.  The  pur- 
chase of  a  farm  at  Jamaica  Plain  afforded  him 
more  ample  scope  for  the  indulgence  of  his  favorite 
tastes,  but  the  garden  was  never  neglected,  and  it 
was  a  subject  of  very  great  annoyance  to  him, 
when  the  "  New  Court  House,"  the  present  City 
Hall,  was  built  directly  up  to  his  line,  shutting  in, 
and  shading  his  garden  entirely  upon  that  side. 
This  was  one  of  the  many  similar  troubles  which 
came  upon  him  in  his  latter  years ;  which,  like  the 
bites  of  musquitoes  are  the  more  vexatious,  be- 
cause they  are  so  minute.  Our  greater  afflictions 
carry  an  elevation  with  them,  which  enables  us 
to  bear  them  with  dignity  ;  the  more  minute  are 
attended  with  a  degree  of  self-contempt  that  we 
allow  ourselves  to  be  oppressed  by  them. 

The  house  itself  was  a  large,  square  building, 
with  an  ell  two  stories  high,  covered  with  a  flat 
roof,  tarred  and  gravelled.  At  the  end  of  this  ell, 
were  outbuildings  and  a  wood-house  extending  to 
the  barn,  and  covering  land  enough  for  a  modern 
sized  dwelling  house.  On  the  western  side  of  the 
house,  towards  Tremont  Street,  inclosed  from  the 
street  by  a  high  gate,  was  the  medicine  room, — 
answering  to  the  English  surgery;  and  back  of 
this  my  father's  study,  separated  by  a  narrow  entry 
which  led  by  an  outer  door  into  the  garden,  form- 
ing a  building  ten  feet  high,  covered  by  a  tarred 
and  gravelled  roof,  lighted  by  skylights,  which  in 


20 


306  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREIJ.  [AGE  32. 

winter  generally  leaked  badly  from  the  melting 
snow.  -On  each  side  of  the  front  door  was  a  large 
parlor,  the  one  on  the  right  of  the  entrance  being 
used  for  sitting-room  and  dining-room,  with  a  large 
pantry  closet  at  the  back.  The  other  parlor  was 
only  opened  on  rare  occasions.  It  was  separated 
by  folding-doors  from  a  hall  built  out  in  the  gar- 
den, and  covered  like  the  other  extensions  by  a 
gravelled  roof.  Between  the  two  was  a  wide 
entry,  and  a  back  and  front  staircase.  In  the  sec- 
ond story  were  four  large  chambers,  the  two  front 
ones  each  furnished  with  two  closets,  and  with 
ample  window-seats  and  fire-places.  One  in  the 
rear,  on  the  left,  opening  out  upon  the  roof  of  the 
hall ;  that  on  the  right  opening  into  the  chamber 
over  the  kitchen,  was  called  the  "nursery,"  but 
uninhabitable  in  winter  on  account  of  the  cold,  and 
little  used  at  other  times.  The  hall  had  been  built 
out  into  the  garden,  after  my  father's  means  had 
increased,  to  serve  for  large  dinner  parties,  and  for 
dancing. 

In  the  third  and  upper  story  were  five  large 
chambers,  the  middle  one  in  front,  a  large  sunny 
room,  called  the  "  study,"  and  probably  used  for 
that  purpose  before  the. lower  study  and  medicine 
room  were  built  out,  was  used  for  a  fruit  and  wine 
room.  There  were  shelves  on  each  side.  One  side 
was  filled  with  bottles  of  Madeira,  purchased  proba- 
bly by  John  C.  Warren,  in  the  cask,  when  he  was 
in  England  in  1800,  and  bottled  under  his  father's 
supervision.  The  shelves,  on  the  other  side,  were 
occupied  with  the  choice  fruit  of  the  season.  This 


1785.J  HOUSE   AND    GARDEN.  307 

room  of  course  was  kept  locked,  and  as  I  only  ob- 
tained a  view  of  the  inside  on  rare  occasions,  it 
was  associated  in  my  childish  mind  with  the  idea 
of  Heaven,  —  a  place  I  thought  of  the  most  bril- 
liant sunshine,  with  the  ground  covered  with  piles 
of  the  choicest  fruit;  oranges,  peaches, and  apri- 
cots in  profusion. 

It  might  have  been  considered  a  blemish  that 
the  back  chambers  had  a  full  view  of  the  jail, 
which  backed  upon  the  old  Court  House,  then 
facing  upon  Court  Street,  and  coming  up  to  the 
street  line.  It  was  a  rude,  whitewashed  brick 
building,  with  a  gallery  on  the  outside  along  each 
row  of  grated  windows,  where  the  friends  of  the 
prisoners  stood  and  held  converse  with  them 
through  the  bars.  I  recollect  it  as  an  interest- 
ing, rather  than  a  disagreeable  sight.  Imprison- 
ment for  debt  was  common  then,  so  that  the  prison- 
ers were  by  no  means  all  criminals,  but  were  ob- 
jects of  compassion.  We  felt  an  interest  in  these 
interviews  which  we  witnessed  at  a  distance. 

In  the  ell  was  a  large  kitchen  with  its  ample 
fire-place,  where  it  said  that  some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  family  in  early  time,  sat  late  at  night 
after  the  parlor  fire  was  extinguished,  and  a  lover 
thought  it  too  early  to  finish  his  visit  without  some 
private  converse.  This  ample  kitchen,  abundantly 
furnished  with  shelves,  sinks,  cupboards  and  dress- 
ers, had  its  counterpart  in  a  cellar  kitchen  be- 
neath, of  equal  size,  where  the  family  washing  was 
done.  A  large  copper  boiler  was  set  here  by 
itself.  The  shelves  were  originally  furnished  with 


308  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

large  pewter  platters,  used  in  my  grandmother's 
time,  but  which  gradually  disappeared,  being  melt- 
ed up  into  bullets  —  I  fear  not  for  the  public  service, 
but  to  gratify  the  taste  of  my  brothers  for  the  use 
of  fire-arms. 

For  the  ample  fire-places  and  enormous  square 
chimneys,  a  large  supply  of  wood  was  necessary, 
hence  the  use  of  a  very  large  wood-house.  Liver- 
pool coal  was  imported  for  grates,  but  too  dear  for 
common  use. 

Over  the  kitchen,  was  a  long  chamber  called,  as 
I  have  said,  the  nursery.  It  was  furnished  with 
an  ample  row  of  windows  on  each  side,  looking 
into  the  yard  and  the  garden.  Furnaces  were  not 
thought  of  in  those  times,  and  my  father  entered 
very  earnestly  into  all  improvements  for  new  fire- 
places. In  the  chamber  I  speak  of,  he  had  a  large 
Russian  stove  (as  it  was  called)  built  at  consid- 
erable expense.  This,  like  all  preceding  contri- 
vances, failed  to  warm  the  room,  and  it  was  neces- 
sary to  abandon  it.  At  the  further  end,  this  room 
opened  upon  the  kitchen  staircase,  which  led  up  to 
the  servants'  chambers,  these  being  entirely  dis- 
connected from  the  other  part  of  the  house. 

At  an  early  period,  when  there  was  no  Medical 
College  or  lecture  room,  the  back  windows  of  the 
house  were  occupied  with  drying  preparations  of 
legs  and  arms,  and  other  anatomical  and  morbid 
specimens,  prepared  by  Dr.  Warren,  and  forming 
the  basis  of  the  Warren  Museum,  afterwards  in 
the  Medical  College. 

The  ample  barn  and   stable,  which  afterwards 


1785.]  FURNITURE.  309 

0 

became  Niles'  Livery  Stable,  contained  in  1810- 
1815,  one  large  yellow  coach,  emblazoned  with  the 
family  arms,  and  large  as  the  Lord  Mayor's ;  a 
coachee  (so  called),  the  size  of  a  modern  coach ;  a 
phaeton,  pretty  old ;  a  chaise,  a  sulky,  and  a  booby- 
hut. 

In  those  days,  no  one  thought  of  having  a  sepa- 
rate dining-room,  either  in  a  basement,  or  on  the 
same  floor.  Houses  were  built  when  land  was 

4j 

plenty,  and  without  regard  to  economy  of  land,  but 
people  preferred  to  take  their  meals  in  the  room 
in  which  they  sat  through  the  day.  The  parlor  on 
the  right  of  the  door  was  furnished  with  large 
mahogany  tables  and  chairs  of  painted  wood  with 
red  morocco  seats.  I  do  not  recollect  any  easy- 
chair  or  rocking-chair  in  the  parlor.  These  chairs 
were  small,  with  straight  backs.  Subsequently, 
these  gave  place  to  large  mahogany  chairs  with 
leather  seats,  studded  with  brass  nails.  Two  of 
these  had  simple  arms.  The  mahogany  was  inlaid 
with  ebony  stripes,  with  an  ivory  star  upon  the 
backs.  These  chairs  are  still  in  existence  and 
good  preservation ;  as  well  as  half  a  dozen  of  the 
red  seated  chairs,  which  were  removed  to  the 
entry,  to  give  place  to  the  new  ones.  The  latter 
were  chef  d'oeuvres  of  Mr.  George  Archibald,  for 
many  years  the  fashionable  cabinet-maker ;  and 
were  either  a  present  to  my  father  for  gratuitous 
medical  services,  or  given  in  payment  of  debt. 
A  dull  looking  canvas  carpet  covered  the  floor; 
over  which  in  winter  a  thick  turkey  carpet  was 
placed.  The  remains  of  this  carpet  covered  the 


310  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

floor  of  an  upper  chamber  in  No.  1  Park  Street, 
into  which  the  family  moved  in  1828.  A  book- 
case with  a  drawer  across  the  middle,  the  front  of 
which  let  down  and  formed  a  desk  with  pigeon 
holes  for  letters  and  receipts,  and  small  drawers  for 
money  and  other  valuables ;  with  cupboards  below  ; 
stood  on  one  side  of  the  room.  An  English  piano, 
of  the  small  size  then  used,  stood  at  the  other  end. 
This  parlor  was  lighted  by  two  windows  on  the 
street ;  and  two  others,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
fire-place,  looking  out  into  the  yard. 

On  the  wall  opposite  the  fire-place  and  win- 
dows, hung  two  engravings.  One,  designated  "  Af- 
rican Slave  Trade,"  represented  negroes  chained 
and  forced  from  their  families  into  slave-ships ;  the 
other  "African  Hospitality,"  represented  a  group 
of  Africans  rescuing  white  men  who  had  been  ship- 
wrecked on  their  coast. 

This  large  parlor,  despite  of  green  baize  doors 
and  baize-covered  strips,  was  very  cold  in  winter ; 
and  many  experiments  in  stoves  and  fire-places 
were  made  for  warming  it.  At  last,  the  discovery 
was  made,  that  the  mouth  of  a  fire-place  might 
be  contracted  to  almost  one  or  two  inches  without 
diminishing  the  draft  and  with  great  saving  of 
heat.  A  soap-stone  fire-place  was  put  in,  with  a 
grate  for  burning  Liverpool  coal ;  and  a  pipe  an 
inch  wide  to  bring  cold  air  from  the  outside  of  the 
house  to  supply  the  draught,  an  improvement 
adopted  in  modern  fire-places,  and  upon  which 
little  advance  has  been  made  since.  At  one  end 
of  the  room,  over  the  piano  or  at  other  times  the 


1785.]  HOUSE    AND    FURNITURE.  311 

sideboard.,  hung  a  large  colored  engraving  of  Apollo, 
and  the  Muses  on  Mt.  Parnassus..  This  "  side- 
board," which  literally  answered  to  its  name,  was 
a  long  table  with  square  corners,  which  was  made 
to  fit  in  between  the  pair  of  dining-tables  so  as  to 
form  an  extension.  Opposite  the  engraving  at  the 
front  side  of  the  room,  hung  a  large  looking-glass 
in  a  very  plain  frame ;  but  of  thick  English  plate. 
The  other  parlor,  which  was  rarely  used,  since 
there  was  no  means  of  warming  it  except  a  large 
open  fire-place  which  always  smoked  woundily  when 
a  fire  was  lighted,  opened  by  large  folding  doors 
into  the  hall.  This,  as  well  as  the  hall,  was  car- 
peted with  a  rich,  substantial  Brussells  carpet.  The 
chairs,  like  the  others,  were  of  painted  wood,  but 
quite  handsome,  with  narrow  arms,  and  with  mov- 
able cushions  covered  with  yellow  kid.  Two  settees 
of  the  same  make  and  material  occupied  each  side 
of  the  fire-place.  Two  small  round  mirrors  with 
candle-sticks  graced  the  wall  on  one  side.  There 
were  four  windows  ;  but  against  one  of  them  the 
medical  offices  had  been  built  up.  The  glass  of 
these  windows  was  coated  with  quicksilver  at  the 
back ;  so  as  to  form  a  looking-glass.  Two  of  the 
windows  in  the  hall  had  been  closed  or  transformed 
in  the  same  manner,  in  consequence  of  the  out- 
buildings. Two  colored  engravings  hung  upon  the 
wall  of  this  parlor.  One  of  "  Joseph  Interpret- 
ing ;  "  the  other  of  "  Pharaoh's  Cup  Found."  Over 
this  parlor  was  the  best  chamber,  called,  I  know 
not  why,  the  "front  chamber,"  opened  only  for 
guests  of  honor.  The  view  in  front  of  this  room 


312  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

was  shut  off  by  the  dull  brick  houses  opposite, 
but  in  front  of  the  other  chamber  over  the  common 
parlor  was  a  large  open  space,  half  of  which  was 
owned  by  my  father,  and  which  was  used  as  a  pas- 
ture. It  contained  the  ruined  foundations  of  a 
house  and  barn.  This  piece  of  land  was  sold  about 
1815,  for  nine  shillings  a  foot. 

In  this  chamber,  on  awaking  at  sunrise  in  the 
morning,  the  eye  rested  upon  the  brilliant  reflec- 
tion of  the  sun  on  the  gilded  Indian  on  the  Prov- 
ince House.  Along  the  fence  on  the  vacant  land 
'opposite,  was  a  row  of  truncated  Lombardy  Pop- 
lars ;  for  my  father,  with  a  number  of  other  gen- 
tlemen, had  imported  a  large  quantity  of  these 
trees,  which  are  so  ornamental  in  their  native  land, 
along  the  side  of  roads.  There  were  circles  and 
rows  of  these  trees  about  the  farm  at  Jamaica 
Plain;  one  row  in  the  yard  in  Boston,  and  the  row 
I  have  just  spoken  of.  '  As  the  severity  of  the 
winter — to  say  nothing  of  the  worm,  destroyed 
the  tops  of  these  trees,  after  they  had  attained  to 
some  size,  it  was  necessary  to  behead  them,  and 
rny  father  used  constant  efforts  to  obtain  a  young 
growth  around  this  flat  decayed  top.  It  was 
necessary  to  watch  them  closely,  for  the  young 
straight  shoots,  with  a  skin  that  easily  slipped  off, 
made  beautiful  whistles  as  well  as  nice  switches. 

Hence  there  was  a  constant  light  with  the  school- 
boys who  clambered  upon  the  fence  to  break  off 
these  shoots,  similar  to  that  which  Miss  Trotwood 
had  with  the  donkey  boys ;  nor  was  it  always  very 
easy  for  Dr.  Warren  to  restrain  his  own  sons  at  a 


1785.J  STUDY. MEDICINE-ROOM.  313 

certain  age  from  helping  themselves  occasionally. 
I  enjoyed  seeing  and  hearing  these  whistles  after 
they  were  made ;  but  I  was  too  young  to  reach 
the  shoots,  or  even  to  use  the  whistles  myself. 

The  large  yard  on  the  Washington  Street,  or 
eastern  side,  was  shut  in  from  the  road  by  a  high 
fence  with  large  gates,  opening  each  way,  with  a 
narrow  one  on  the  side  for  foot  entrance,  the  whole 
surmounted,  as  were  all  the  other  fences,  by  a  row 
of  sharp  pointed  nails.  I  recollect  that  on  a  certain 
occasion  when  I  had  thrown  my  ball  over  the  gate 
into  the  road,  one  of  my  brothers,  who  always  acted 
upon  impulse,  undertook,  I  know  not  why,  to  get 
over  the  gate,  instead  of  going  through  it,  and 
lacerated  himself  fearfully,  so  that  there  was  a 
large  rent  in  the  integuments,  which  required  sew- 
ing up  by  my  father ;  for  in  those  days  the  needle 
was  much  more  used  in  surgery,  —  plasters  were 
not  depended  upon. 

On  the  side  towards  Tremont  Street,  or  western 
side,  was  a  similar  double  and  single  gate,  opening 
into  a  yard  just  large  enough  for  a  cart  with  coal 
or  with  a  cask  of  wine,  or  cider,  to  back  up  to  the 
cellar  door  on  that  side.  Fronting  on  this  small 
yard  was  the  "medicine  room,"  an  apothecary's 
shop  in  miniature,  where  the  medical  students  sat 
and  studied,  or  put  up  medicines.  In  the  rear  of 
this,  passing  over  a  narrow  entry  was  the  Doctor's 
study,  where  he  received  the  patients  who  were 
ushered  in  through  the  medicine  room.  As  the 
patients  were  admitted  by  the  students,  they  had 
the  advantage  of  freing  able  to  attend  to  slight 


314  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

cases  or  prescribe  in  my  father's  absence,  dress 
slight  wounds,  assist  in  operations  when  required, 
etc.  A  great  deal  has  been  said  of  the  want  of 
hospital  instruction  at  this  time  ;  but,  in  fact,  the 
advantages  of  seeing  private  practice  and  being 
in  close  contact  and  intimacy  with  a  kind  and 
earnest  instructor,  more  than  counterbalanced  the 
deficiency. 

That  Dr.  John  C.  Warren  found  this  deficiency  a 
very  serious  one,  was  very  natural ;  for  it  must  be 
recollected  that  he  did  not  take  to  the  study  either 
from  strong  early  inclination  or  from  necessitude. 
He  never  endured  the  confinement  and  drudgery 
of  the  medicine  room,  and  the  time  passed  at  home, 
was,  as  he  states,  nearly  wasted.  The  medical  pu- 
pils, on  the  other  hand,  were  apprentices,  in  all  but 
the  name ;  they  were  required  to  do  all  sort  of 
drudgery  connected  with  the  profession, —  spread 
plasters,  make  pills,  put  up  recipes,  clean  and  wir6. 
skeletons,  etc.  One  was  required  to  sleep  in  the 
house  to  attend  night  patients,  etc.  The  success 
of  many  of  my  father's  pupils,  is  the  best  evidence 
that  their  studies  were  not  defective. 

Both  of  these  rooms  were  warmed  by  sheet-iron 
or  Pollock  stoves  ;  which,  in  spite  of  all  inventions 
to  prevent  or  cure,  were  exceedingly  apt  to  smoke, 
as  the  building  was  only  ten  feet  high  and  shut  in 
by  a  high  brick  house  on  each  side.  The  melting 
of  the  snow  in  winter,  caused  much  leaking  through 
the  skylights.  But  in  these  days  people  did  not 
care  so  much  for  comfort  and  luxury,  as  in  later 
times.  The  surgeon  who  had  served  through  all 


1785.]  SERVANTS.  315 

the  hardships  and  privations  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  thought" very  little  of  such  minor  inconven- 
iences. When  in  his  office,  he  was  too  much  occu- 
pied with  keeping  his  books  or  preparing  his  lec- 
tures, to  find  fault  with  what  was,  by  comparison, 
real  comfort. 

But  in  1785  these  rooms  did  not  exist,  neither 
did  the  hall.  Without  these  additions,  the  house 
was  large  enough  for  a  hotel.  In  so  much  space 
there  was  of  course  a  great  deal  of  waste  room. 
Several  of  the  chambers  were  generally  unoccu- 
pied. And  with  the  exception  of  the  spare  cham- 
ber, changes  were  frequently  made,  arid  the  differ- 
ent ones  occupied  by  turns. 

The  family  consisted  of  my  father,  my  mother, 
five  children  —  one  born  in  October,  1785 — and 
the  two  daughters  and  three  sons  of  General  Joseph 
Warren.  Land  was  cheap  at  this  time,  and  wages 
low.  To  have  kept  so  large  a  house  in  order  must 
have  required  a  number  of  domestics.  A  cook  and 
chambermaid  were  fixtures.  The  same  ones  re- 
mained for  a  number  of  years.  There  was  a  regu- 
lar gradation,  however,  in  work.  The  little  girl  in 
time  became  a  chambermaid,  and  the  chamber- 
maid became  cook ;  just  as  the  mechanic's  appren- 
tice became  journeyman,  and  the  journeyman 
eventually  became  master.  There  were  no  Irish 
servants  in  those  days.  All  were  either  Yankees  or 
blacks.  My  father's  establishment,  at  this  time, 
consisted  of  cook,  chambermaid,  and  the  black  man 
Cuff.  Subsequently,  a  little  girl  was  taken  to 
bring  up.  The  servants,  dressed  in  coarse  clothes, 


316  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

made  no  attempt  to  vie  with  their  mistresses ;  and 
saved  up  their  money  for  support  in  sickness  or 
old  age.  The  two  classes  were  as  distinct  here  as 
in  England.  They  never  heard  of  "help  "  in  those 
days. 

A  small  sum  was  paid  by  the  State  for  the  board 
of  Joseph  Warren's  children,  which  must  have  as- 
sisted in  the  support  of  the  house.  Water  was 
not  brought  into  the  house  by  pipes,  nor  was  there 
any  other  than  straight  log  pumps  used.  The 
pump  and  well  for  drinking  water  stood  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  yard ;  from  which  all  the  well 
water  was  brought.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
house  stood  the  cistern,  which  was  filled  from 
spouts  coming  from  the  top  of  the  house.  It  was 
thought  no  hardship  to  go  out,  ip  all  weathers,  to 
the  pumps,  for  all  the  water  used.  A  pump  had, 
in  former  days,  stood  close  to  the  side  door  of  the 
house,  but  it  had  been  removed,  and  a  raised  pas- 
sage way  built  here  from  this  door  to  the  street 
gate,  why,  I  know  not,  unless  it  was  for  safety 
from  any  vehicle  that  came  in ;  or,  from  the  horses 
sometimes  let  loose  in  the  yard  for  exercise.  My 
father,  a  few  years  before  he  died,  conceived  the 
idea  that  a  well  had  been  covered  over  here,  and 
that,  as  it  had  been  left  so  many  years,  there 
was  imminent  danger  of  its  caving  in  at  any  mo- 
ment. Hence  he  thought  every  one  who  passed 
over  it  did  so  at  the  risk  of  their  lives.  A  party 
of  workmen  were  employed,  who  cautiously  dug 
down  in  the  situation  of  the  supposed  well,  but 
found  nothing  but  solid  earth,  and  came  to  the  con- 


1785.]  LOUIS    THE   BARBER.  317 

elusion  that  the  water  had  been  brought  to  the  old 
pump  from  the  inclosure  opposite,  by  logs  laid  un- 
der the  pavement  across  the  street. 

After  the  family  had  increased,  and  my  father's 
means  became  more  ample,  a  black  boy  was  kept 
as  footman.  Mrs.  Nickerson,  a  black  woman,  came 
to  assist  at  the  family  wash,  and  black  Rose  came 
on  Thanksgiving  days  to  make  the  pies,  and  pre- 
side in  the  kitchen.  Black  Abram,  also  a  distin- 
guished character,  always  came  to  saw  the  wood. 

My  father,  accustomed  as  he  was  to  the  use  of 
sharp  instruments,  could  never  shave  himself.  In 
early  times  he  had  a  black  girl  who  was  accus- 
tomed to  shave  him.  ,  Afterwards  he  had  a  barber, 
who  came  every  day  to  shave  him,  and  dress  his 
hair.  He  wore  hair  powder  and  a  queue,  as  was 
the  fashion  of  the  time.  One  of  these  barbers, 
Louis,  was  a  native  of  Martinique.  When  a  boy, 
he  and  his  father  got  on  board  an  English  ship,  and 
escaped  to  this  country.  He  then  went  into  the 
shop  of  a  hairdresser,  named  Gendron,  in  Royal 
Exchange  Alley.  Gendron  had  a  large  business. 
It  was  just  after  the  regicide  of  Louis  XVI.  The 
town  was  filled  with  French  refugees.  There 
were  no  American  hairdressers.  A  French  one 
was  in  great  demand,  and  Gendron  was  the  only 
one  in  town.  He  kept  five  men,  himself  making 
six.  He  grew  rich,  and  finally  left  his  shop  and 
business  to  Louis.  One  of  these  men,  a  white  man 
by  the  name  of  Mountain,  succeeded  Louis,  kept 
at  Concert  Hall,  and  afterwards,  I  believe,  took 
charge  of  the  building. 


318  LIFE   OP   DE.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  33. 

Louis  made  money  by  his  diligence  and  skill,  for 
a  great  deal  of  skill  was  required  for  the  different 
styles  of  hairdressing.  He  also  attended  at  the 
houses  of  the  most  fashionable  ladies,  to  dress  their 
hair  for  parties.  Like  his  predecessor  and  master, 
he  acquired  money,  which  he  invested  in  a  house 
and  shop,  in  the  meantime  loaning  money  to  cus- 
tomers. Eeal  estate  was,  in  fact,  the  only  safe  in- 
vestment for  money. 

He  gave  his  children  a  good  education,  paying 
for  their  attendance  at  a  private  school,  for  colored 
children  were  not  allowed  to  attend  the  public 
schools. 

His  wife  was  a  mulatto  woman,  born  and  brought 
up  in  Weston,  with  her  master's  children,  receiving 
the  same  education  and  privileges  with  them.  She 
is  now  living,  has  full  possession  of  her  faculties,  at 
the  age  of  ninety-two,  and  can  repeat  many  stories 
and  events  of  the  wealthy  families  of  Boston.  She 
is,  as  she  says,  very  aristocratic.  She  has  always 
lived  in  the  best  families. 

Louis  was  persuaded  to  go  to  St.  Domingo ; 
there  he  took  the  fever  and  died.  The  little  prop- 
erty he  had  was  lost  by  some  fraudulent  means, 
and  he  left  nothing  for  his  family.  Mr.  Mountain 
succeeded  him  in  the  shop,  and  came  daily  to 
shave  and  dress  my  father's  hair  and  queue.  My 
father  wore  boots  coming  up  to  the  knees,  to 
meet  the  breeches  which  were  then  worn.  In 
winter,  goloshes  were  worn  over  the  boots  to  pro- 
tect the  feet  from  snow  and  wet.  They  were  made 
like  the  latest  fashion  of  rubber  shoes,  but  having 
a  strap  to  buckle  them  over  the  instep. 


1786.]  CHARLES    LENNOX.  319 

In  the  deep  snows  of  that  time,  woolen  mocca- 
sins were  worn  to  keep  the  feet  warm  and  protect- 
ed from  the  snow. 

It  was  not  the  custom  then, to  keep  the  frontdoors 
locked.  The  intimates  of  the  house  came  in  with- 
out knocking.  Many  young  men  formed  a  sort  of 
rendezvous  at  our  house.  Dr.  Jacob  Bigelow,  Mr. 
George  Ticknor,  Nathan  Hale,  Dr.  Gamage,  Fred- 
erick Ingraham,  —  the  brother  of  the  well  known 
instructor,  a  young  man  of  great  fun  and  gaiety,  — 
Mr.  Carnes,  whom  they  designated  "  Counsellor 
Carnes,"  and  one  or  two  naval  officers,  were  con- 
stantly at  the  house.  Excited  by  each  other,  they 
were  full  of  fun  and  practical  jokes. 

Slavery  had  existed  in  Massachusetts  up  to  the 
period  of  the  adoption  of  the  State  Constitution; 
when  the  declaration  that  "  all  men  are  born  free 
and  equal"  was  inserted  by  Judge  Lowell  in  the 
Bill  of  Eights,  it  is  said  with  express  reference  to 
the  subject  of  slavery.  It  was  finally  terminated  by 
the  decision  of  the  Supreme  Court  in  1783,  when 
a  man  was  convicted  of  an  assault,  and  fined  for 
beating  a  person  whom  he  claimed  as  a  slave.  In 
Connecticut  and  Rhode  Island,  it  was  abolished  in 
1784.  By  the  terms  of  my  grandfather's  will  the 
two  blacks,  Cuff  and  Quaco,  were  left  to  my  mother. 

My  father's  sentiments  in  regard  to  Slavery, 
and  especially  against  the  Slave  Trade,  which  was 
then  the  principal  object  of  attention,  were  very 
strong;  and  he  undoubtedly  employed  his  stren- 
uous efforts  for  their  abolition.  I  have  mentioned 
the  two  engravings  which  hung  in  his  parlor.  The 


320  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

one  exhibiting  shipwrecked  passengers  rescued  and 
kindly  administered  to  by  blacks ;  the  other  ex- 
hibiting husbands,  wives,  and  children  torn  from 
each  other's  arms,  while  well  dressed  whites  fought 
for  their  possession. 

"  Your  father  was  always  the  friend  of  black 
men,"  said  Charles  Lenox  to  me,  in  1822.  Those 
whose  college  recollections  go  back  to  about  that 
time  or  ten  years  later,  will  recollect  this  import- 
ant character,  "  Dr.  Charles,"  as  he  was  sometimes 
called.  He  was  for  many  years  a  faithful  attend- 
ant off  the  students  who  employed  him;  and  by 
dint  of  blacking  boots,  making  fires,  bringing  water, 
etc.,  as  well  as  by  saving  cigar  ends,  empty  bottles, 
old  boots,  etc,  he  succeeded  in  accumulating  a  snug 
little  property ;  and  at  the  period  I  speak  of,  he 
was  able  to  loan  money  to  those  professors  whose 
narrow  salaries  compelled  them  to  borrow. 

Charles  Lenox  had  been  in  the  habit  of  visiting 
Cuff  and  Quaco.  The  fate  of  the  latter  has  been 
described  in  the  "  Biography  of  John  C.  Warren." 
Having  gone  with  a  valuable  pair  of  coach  horses 
to  the  Old  Mill  Pond,  where  Haymarket  Square 
now  is,  the  horses  became  unmanageable  in  the 
water  and  he  was  thrown  from  the  one  he  was 
riding  under  their  feet.  My  father  was  in  the 
neighborhood  and  had  the  horror  of  witnessing  a 
scene  in  which  he  could  give  no  assistance.  It 
was  in  vain  that  he  called  to  the  bystanders,  offering 
a  large  sum  of  money  for  the  man's  rescue ;  —  the 
horses  were  plunging  furiously,  and  no  one  would 
venture.  When  at  length  he  was  taken  from  the 


1785.] 


CUFF'S  MARRIAGE.  321 


water,  he  was  brought  home,  and  every  effort  was 
ma-de  to  restore  him.  He  ha'd  received  a  kick  on 
the  head  which  prevented  any  possibility  of  his 
surviving.  Brought  up  upon  the  seacoast,  he  was 
a  good  swimmer,  and  would  easily  have  escaped  if 
he  had  not  been  hurt.  He  was  buried  in  the  fam- 
ily tomb  at  the  bottom  of  the  Common. 

It  is  said  that  the  servants  of  Governor  Collins 
were  strongly  attached  to  their  young  mistress, 
and  deeply  regretted  her  departure  from  Castle 
Hill,  when  she  became  the  wife  of  Dr.  Warren. 

Cuff,  who  I  believe  was  the  brother  of  Quaco, 
was  for  many  years  an  important  part  of  my 
father's  establishment.  He  lived  in  the  family 
until  the  last  year  of  my  father's  life,  when,  having 
become  very  intemperate,  it  became  necessary, 
though  with  great  reluctance,  to  discharge  him. 
My  father's  health  had  become  such  that  he  could 
not  look  after  him  ;  and  it  was  necessary  to  have 
some  one  upon  whom  he  could  at  all  times  depend. 

At  one  period,  Cuff  submitted  to  the  common 
lot  of  man ;  he  fell  in  love.  A  nice  room  was  hired 
for  him,  neatly  furnished,  and  he  was  married. 
The  day  after  the  wedding  his  bride  eloped,  taking 
with  her  all  the  furniture  of  the  room,  and  leaving 
only  bare  walls.  Cuff  returned  crestfallen  to  his 
former  patron,  and  never  ventured  to  try  matri- 
mony again.  Whether  any  pursuit  was  made 
after  the  wife,  I  do  not  know.  It  was  probably 
thought  best  for  her  husband  to  leave  matters  as 
they  were.  In  those  days,  divorce  from  the  mar- 
riage bond  could  not  be  had  except  for  one  cause. 

21 


322  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

At  the  period  I  speak  of,  negro  melodies  with 
their  accompaniments  had  not  become  fashionable. 
Cuff  occasionally  performed  in  one,  especially  when 
he  was  a  little  elevated,  that  was  doubtless  genu- 
ine. I  hope  it  will  be  admired.  Taking  from  the 
cupboard  a  couple  of  bones,  left  from  the  day's 
dinner,  he  would  strike  them  together,  keeping 
time  with  a  rude  hop,  and  singing :  — 

"  Massa  bimetee,  Massa  bibone 
Massa  bilandee,  Massa  bistone." 

I  think  this  might  puzzle  a  good  linguist,  but  it 
was  explained  by  him  to  the  uninitiated  to  mean, 
that  — 

When  Massa  buys  meat,  lie  buys  bone, 
"When  Massa  buys  land,  he  buys  stone. 

A  sly  satire  upon  their  masters,  with  a  little  exul- 
tation over  their  being  so  imposed  upon. 

Cuff  was  a  genuine  black,  without  any  admix- 
ture of  white  blood.  He  was  of  mild  disposition, 
not  remarkably  intelligent,  attached,  good  natured, 
and  inclined  to  indolence.  He  had  one  or  two 
other  places  after  his  dismissal,  from  which  he  al- 
ways came  to  make  a  visit  to  the  family.  When 
he  became  too  old  to  work,  he  was  finally  pro- 
vided for  in  his  native  place,  Newport. 

A  very  important  character,  —  I  think  no  rela- 
tion of  Cuff,  —  was  Hannibal,  who  came  annually 
from  Newport,  to  bring  dispatches  to  my  mother, 
and  visit  his  friends  in  Boston.  Like  Cuff,  he  had 
been  one  of  Governor  Collins'  slaves ;  was  now  the 
servant  of  my  mother's  sister,  Mrs.  Gardiner,  and 
the  occasional  ambassador  between  them. 


1785.]  SLAVERY.  323 

Slavery,  while  it  existed  in  Rhode  Island,  was  in 
a  very  mild  form ;  the  slaves  of  Governor  Collins 
were  happy  and  attached.  Dr.  John  C.  Warren, 
who  as  the  eldest  and  favorite  grandson  and  in- 
tended heir  of  Governor  Collins,  was  often  at  New- 
port in  his  youth,  testifies  that  the  children  of 
Africans  born  in  this  country,  and  brought  up  with 
the  whites,  were  as  intelligent,  as  gay,  and  ready 
to  learn,  as  the  white  children.  There  was,  of 
course,  a  difference  of  tribes :  and  my  mother  fre- 
quently commented  upon  the  accuracy  of  Miss 
Edgeworth,  in  one  of  her  "  Popular  Tales,"  in  which 
she  exemplifies  the  different  characteristics  of  the 
different  tribes.  The  children  of  those  of  the 
milder  tribes  were  more  docile  and  intelligent  than 
those  of  the  fiercer  races. 

The  successor  of  Cuff'  was  a  black  of  great  intel- 
ligence and  capacity.  He  had  lived  in  different 
stations  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  could  speak 
several  languages.  He  had  been  in  the  service  of 
Murat;  and  in  1815,  when  the  Prince  had  been 
promised  restoration  to  the  crown  of  Naples,  Louis 
was  sent  for  to  return.  He  accordingly  left  our 
family,  and  embarked  for  Europe.  Before  his  ar- 
rival, however,  Murat  had  again  changed  sides, 
been  taken  prisoner,  tried  by  court  martial,  and 
shot.  I  never  heard  of  Louis  after  this,  but  I  have 
an  impression  that  he  returned  to  Boston,  and 
took  some  situation  such  as  he  had  with  us. 

My  mother,  when  worried  by  bad  servants,  could 
not  avoid  at  times  looking  back  with  regret  upon 
the  comforts  of  the  "  peculiar  institution."  The 


324  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  32. 

black  servants,  contented,  attached,  and  happy, 
formed  part  of  the  family,  took  the  name  of  their 
master,  and  being  well  trained,  performed  their 
duties  with  ability  and  accuracy.  She  was  not, 
however,  disposed  to  uphold  the  institution,  or  to 
look  with  favor  upon  those  who  made  their  for- 
tunes in  the  slave  trade. 

Dr.  Warren  looked  upon  the  declaration  in  the  Bill 
of  Rights,  that  "  All  men  are  born  free  and  equal," 
as  meaning  what  the  words  implied,  and  applying 
as  strongly  to  the  blacks  as  to  the  whites.  Consider- 
ing the  former  as  an  injured  race,  his  sympathies 
were  particularly  interested  in  their  behalf,  and 
upon  all  proper  occasions  he  exerted  his  influence 
in  their  favor,  employed  them  in  his  service,  and 
gave  them  his  attendance  freely  in  sickness,  for 
such  return  as  they  were  able  to  make. 

The  disturbances  which  had  taken  place  in  Massa- 
chusetts had  excited  serious  alarm  all  over  the 
country,  the  danger  being  probably  magnified  by 
distance.  This  served  to  hasten  the  formation  of 
a  federal  union,  for  the  Articles  of  Confederation 
were  found  insufficient  to  give  to  each  State  the 
necessary  protection  against  internal  insurrection 
or  foreign  invasion. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

1787-1789. 
CONVENTION   FOR   RATIFYING   THE    CONSTITUTION. 

Convention  for  Katifying  the  United  States  Constitution.  —  Com- 
munication to  the  Press.  — Mr.  Hancock's  Billet.  —  Samuel  Ad- 
ams, Governor.  —  Washington's  Visit  to  Boston. 

A  FTER  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution  by  the 
"^  Federal  Convention,  a  State  Convention  was 
held  in  Boston,  for  the  purpose  of  assenting  to, 
and  ratifying  this  instrument,  January  9th,  1788. 
Governor  Hancock  was  chosen  President.  The 
slave  trade,  slavery,  and  the  law  for  the  return  of 
persons  held  to  labor,  were  again  the  subjects  of 
long  and  earnest  debate.  On  account  of  these 
clauses,  the  opposition  was  very  strong.  But  the 
more  moderate  opposers  of  slavery  thought  that 
by  fixing  a  period  for  the  termination  of  the  slave 
trade,  they  obtained  more  than  could  be  gained  by 
a  continued  opposition  which  might  again  involve 
the  State  in  anarchy  and  civil  war.  So  recently 
having  escaped  from  an  insurrection,  and  from  the 
state  of  things  so  forcibly  described  in  the  quota- 
tion given  above,  with  an  exhausted  treasury,,  and 
a  large  body  of  dissatisfied,  or  barely  reconciled 
people,  they  stood,  in  fact,  upon  the  brink  of  a 
volcano. 


326  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  35. 

In  the  adoption  of  the  Constitution,  a  period  was 
fixed  for  the  termination  of  the  slave  trade,  and  it 
was  reasonably  supposed  slavery  would  die  out 
when  its  source  of  supply  was  cut  off.  It  could 
not  then  be  foreseen  that  a  portion  of  the  South 
would  ever  become  a  hot-bed  and  nursery  for  the 
supply  of  all  the  slave  States.  A  brand  was  placed 
upon  the  institution,  and  it  was  naturally  supposed 
that  the  declaration  of  human  equality,  together 
with  the  natural  progress  of  civilization,  would 
operate,  as  it  did  in  Massachusetts,  and  virtually 
annul  the  right  to  hold  slaves. 

A  new  generation  educated  in  this  grand  article 
of  political  faith,  "  that  all  men  wrere  born  free  and 
equal,"  it  was  not  to  be  supposed  would  be  sophist- 
ical enough  to  except  black  men,  for  to  the  eye  of 
plain  reason  it  might  as  well  be  said  that  it  was  only 
rich  men,  who  were  born  free  and  equal.  To  avoid 
this  difficulty,  indeed,  desperate  attempts  have 
been  made  to  show  by  anatomy,  that  the  negro  is 
of  an  inferior  genus,  between  the  man  and  the 
monkey,  thus  favoring  the  celebrated  theory  of 
Lord  Monboddo,  now  revived  by  Darwin,  that  all 
men  were  descended  from  monkeys.  But  these 
attempts  to  prove  a  distinction  of  race  have 
signally  failed. 

I  have  said  thus  much,  because  an  earnest  and 
able1  historian  has  censured  Massachusetts  states- 
men for  yielding  this  point.  My  father  exerted 
all  his  abilities  and  influence  to  obtain  the  ratifica- 
tion of  the  Constitution,  and  cooperated  earnestly 

1  Hildreth. 


1788.]  MR.  HANCOCK'S  BILLET.  327 

with  Mr.  Hancock,  whose  efforts  are  said  mainly  to 
have  reconciled  the  opposition  in  Massachusetts. 
With  a  strong  body  of  men,  even  in  New  England, 
making  money  by  the  slave  trade,  this  was  all  that 
could  be  done  in  behalf  of  freedom.  The  first 
question  was  the  existence  or  destruction  of  the 
nation. 

The  following  note  from  Governor  Hancock, 
though  rather  obscure  (perhaps  intentionally  so), 
may  be  read  with  interest :  — 

"  Mr.  Hancock  presents  his  compliments  to  Dr. 
Warren,  must  ask  his  pardon  that  he  could  not 
wait  on  him  last  evening,  and  is  now  so  engaged, 
and  his  duty  to  his  constituents  obliges  him  to  be 
faithful.  He  knows  he  can  use  freedom  with  the 
Doctor,  and  from  that  consideration  he  asks  the 
favor  of  the  Doctor,  to  send  by  the  bearer  that 
which  he  supposes  he  should  have  been  indulged 
with,  had  he  visited  the  Doctor  last  evening,  and 
on  which  (as  the  production  of  the  Doctor)  Mr. 
Hancock's  reputation  depends.  Mr.  H.  will,  with 
the  Doctor's  leave,  shortly  call  on  him,  and  must 
many  times  in  the  course  of  a  month.  Actions 
must  determine  Mr.  Hancock's  obligations  to  the 
Doctor,  for  the  full  he  can't  express  in  words. 
Adieu,  we  are  upon  the  judges,  and  shall  do  the 
needful.  It  is  the  Whigs'  turn  now." 

This  note  shows  that  Mr.  Hancock  was  in  the 
habit  of  consulting  with  Dr.  Warren  upon  political 
matters,  and  the  expression  that  his  reputation 


328  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  85. 

depended  upon  the  Doctor's  production,  seems  to 
show  that  he  employed  my  father's  pen,  as  he  is 
known  to  have  done  that  of  others.1  It  is  said 
that  Dr.  Cooper  was  the  author  of  Hancock's  "  Ora- 
tion on  the  Massacre."  Dr.  Thacher  wrote  his 
messages,  and  Hon.  Judge  Parsons  wrote  the  re- 
solves of  the  State  Convention,  on  the  adoption  of 
the  Federal  Constitution,  which  he  had  the  credit  of 
preparing.1 

Substitutions  of  this  kind  were  much  more  com- 
mon seventy  years  ago.  As  in  England,  the  king's 
speech  was  written  by  his  ministers,  and  a  minis- 
terial pamphlet  often  by  a  hired  orator  in  a  garret, 
so  it  was  judged  allowable  here,  to  substitute, 
when  necessary,  the  pen  of  a  readier  or  less 
occupied  writer.  Nor  was  it  less  common  in  small 
matters.  Parents  not  only  wrote  their  children's 
school  exercises,  but  even  their  daughters'  love 
letters.  I  have  it  on  the  authority  of  Eev.  Dr. 
Jenks,  that  Rev.  Dr.  Freeman  wrote  his  address  on 
leaving  the  Latin  School,  while  that  of  his  class- 
mate, John  C.  Warren,  was  written  by  his  «father. 
I  have  now  in  my  possession  the  latter  address, 
in  my  father's  handwriting.  The  "  Memoir  of  Gen- 
eral Joseph  Warren,"  furnished  by  Dr.  John  C.  War- 
ren for  the  American  edition  of  Ree's  Cyclopedia, 
was  written  by  his  brother,  Henry  Warren. 

It  would  be  considered  very  singular  in  these 
days  for  an  orator  to  employ  a  substitute  to  write 
his  oration,  but  many  persons  who  have  clear  ideas 
in  speaking,  become  obscure  in  writing.  If  we 

1  Loring'g  One  Hundred  Boston  Orators. 


1788.]  MR.   HANCOCK   GOVERNOR.  329 

take  the  above  note  as  a  specimen,  this  may  have 
been  the  case  with  Hancock.  It  is  remarkable 
that  he  should  have  selected  the  men  above  men- 
tioned, as  they  were  all  inclined  to  the  views  of 
Governor  Bowdoin,  and  to  that  party  styled  by  Mr. 
Hancock,  as  the  "Essex  Junto."  Hancock  was 
accused  of  courting  popularity,  and  he  was  an 
asserter  of  State  rights,  as  seen  in  his  famous  re- 
ception of  Washington,  when  he  insisted  that  the 
President  should  call  first  upon  him,  as  supreme  in 
his  own  State.  So  popular  was  Governor  Hancock 
among  the  Democrats,  that  it  is  reported  the  inhabi- 
tants of  "  Oldtown "  continued  to  vote  for  him 
many  years  after  his  death. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  production  above 
alluded  to,  the  fact  is  certain  that  Dr.  Warren 
aided  essentially  in  overcoming  the  objections  of 
those  in  Massachusetts  who  opposed  the  adoption 
of  the  Constitution.  Besides  his  exertions  as  a 
writer,  his  influence  was  doubtless  more  generally 
felt  from  his  conversational  powers.  Rapid  as 
were  his  professional  visits,  he  found  time,  on  all 
proper  occasions,  to  enter  upon  political  subjects, 
and  enforce  those  views  on  which  he  believed  the 
very  existence  of  the  country  depended. 

The  Constitution  of  the  United  States  ratified 
and  established,  one  of  the  next  public  measures 
in  which  my  father  took  part  was  the  annual  elec- 
tion of  the  chief  magistrates.  Mr.  Hancock,  who 
had  declined  reelection  in  1784,  on  account  of  ill 
health,  returned  to  office  in  1787,  and  was  not 
likely  to  meet  with  any  opposition.  He  was  re- 


330  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  36. 

elected  annually  until  1793,  when  he  was  finally 
obliged  to  retire. 

With  regard  to  Lieutenant-governor,  there  was 
more  division.  Mr.  Elbridge  Gerry,  in  a  letter  to 
Samuel  Adams  in  1778,  complains  that  "the  vigilant 
enemies  of  free  government  have  deprived  Mr. 
Adams  and  himself  of  that  public  confidence  to 
which  a  faithful  attachment  to  the  public  interest 
entitle  them."  Mr.  Gerry  refers  here  to  that  party 
who  feared  the  ultra  tendencies  of  Mr.  Gerry, 
Mr.  Adams,  and  those  of  similar  views,  towards 
democracy. 

It  was  natural,  also,  that  after  the  most  important 
matters  were  settled,  the  Constitution  adopted,  the 
insurrection  terminated,  —  that  the  interest  of  the 
best  men  in  public  affairs  should  subside,  and  those 
best  qualified  to  influence  public  opinion  and  to 
guide  the  State  should  be  willing  to  rest  from 
their  exertions,  and  give  space  for  the  efforts  of 
those  impelled  to  seek  office  or  influence,  by  con- 
siderations of  self-interest  alone.  This  state  of 
things  called  forth  the  following  communication 
from  my  father,  who  always  watched  every  public 
measure  and  every  election  with  the  greatest  vigil- 
ance. 

"  It  is  a  circumstance  exceedingly  to  be  regretted 
in  all  governments  of  human  constitution,  especially 
in  those  of  a  popular  nature,  that  though  true 
principles  upon  which  the  success  of  the  adminis- 
tration of  government  depends,  are  sufficiently  at- 
tended to  in  the  first  period  of  their  institution ; 


1789.]  ON   THE   ELECTION   OF   LIEUT.-GOVERNOR.        331 

yet  that  as  soon  as  public  affairs  have,  as  it  were, 
settled  down  into  their  proper  and  established 
channels,  the  body  of  the  people  become  indiffer- 
ent to  their  most  important  public  concerns,  and 
suffer  a  corruption  of  the  original  principles  of 
government  to  steal  in  upon  them,  without  oppo- 
sition or  notice. 

"  Happily,  however,  according  to  the  Constitu- 
tion of  this  Commonwealth,  the  periodical  election 
of  officers  to  the  executive  and  legislative  depart- 
ments, serves  as  a  kind  of  annual  memento  of  that 
purity  of  principle  in  which  it  was  founded. 

"  To  give  the  utmost  possible  degree  of  efficacy 
to  a  cause  so  highly  important  in  a  republican 
State,  it  can  never  be  amiss  at  the  approach  of  an 
election  —  it  is  most  indisputably  every  man's 
duty  —  to  establish  in  his  own  mind  a  set  of  prop- 
ositions drawn  from  the  nature  of  the  government, 
for  his  guidance  and  direction  in  the  choice  of  offi- 
cers or  rulers. 

"  The  most  natural  and  simple  propositions  that 
occur  to  the  mind  of  a  republican  in  an  election 
upon  a  new  constitution ;  appear  to  me  to  be  based 
upon  the  capacity  and  the  integrity  of  the  candi- 
date, and  may  be  reduced  to  the  two  following  : 

"  First.  That  supposing  a  number  of  men  to 
be  otherwise,  in  every  respect,  perfectly  equally 
qualified  ;  that  man  should  be  intrusted  with  the 
duties  of  the  station  who  is  most  capable  of  dis- 
charging them  to  the  advantage  of  the  public. 

"  Second.  That  supposing  them  to  be  equally 
qualified  ;  that  man  should  be  preferred  whose  in- 


332  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  36. 

tegrity,  having  been  put  to  the  severest  trial,  is 
unquestionably  demonstrated. 

"  These  are  plain,  obvious  truths,  and  any  decis- 
ion we  may  form  for  a  choice,  which  will  not  bear 
these  tests,  is  not,  in  my  opinion,  such  an  one  as 
we  can  justify  to  ourselves,  our  own  consciences,  or 
our  country. 

"  In  the  choice  of  first  magistrate,  it  appears 
probable  that  the  people  will  be  pretty  generally 
united ;  but  as  they  are  much  divided  in  their  sen- 
timents respecting  the  choice  of  Lieutenant-gover- 
nor, it  becomes  necessary  to  apply  the  above 
named  propositions  to  the  present  case,  and  with 
the  utmost  candor,  and  without  any  personal  reflec- 
tions, to  form  our  conclusions  accordingly. 

"  The  late  Revolution  was  evidently  produced 
and  effected  by  two  different  causes.  It  was  pro- 
duced by  the  wisdom  of  the  American  counsels  ; 
and  the  eyes  of  the  people  were  open  to  the  na- 
ture of  that  tyranny  which  was  preparing  to  be 
exercised  over  them,  —  by  the  writings  and  by 
the  eloquence  of  the  first  patriots  of  that  period. 
It  was  effected  by  the  conduct  of  as  brave  an  army 
as  was  ever  marshalled  in  the  field  of  war.  Of  the 
honors  of  the  former,  it  appears  to  me  that  no  one 
of  the  present  candidates  is  entitled  to  a  larger 
share  than  Mr.  A.  As  a  man  of  superior  under- 
standing, his  acquaintance  has  ever  been  sought 
by  the  first  characters  in  the  Commonwealth. 

"  The  second  proposition  obliges  us  to  recur  to 
the  past  conduct  of  the  candidates,  as  there  is  no 
other  way  of  judging  of  the  quality  of  the  human 
heart,  but  by  the  fruit  it  produces. 


1789.]  MB.    ADAMS.  333 

"  As  to  the  integrity  of  Mr.  A. ;  his  uniform  re- 
fusal of  the  alluring  offers  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, on  condition  of  his  betraying  the  cause  of 
his  country,  may  be  considered  as  a  proof  of  it.  If 
the  smallness  of  his  fortune,  or  if  the  character  of 
an  honest  man,  which  he  has  uniformly  sustained 
in  private  life,  are  arguments  of  any  weight  in  the 
case,  Mr.  A.'s  character  for  probity  is  sufficiently 
established  against  the  attacks  of  malevolence  or 
'prejudice  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  intimations 
contained  in  the  queries  of  Mr.  Griffith's  paper  of 
last  Thursday,  it  is  well  known  that  so  fully  were 
the  people  satisfied  of  his  probity  at  a  period  when 
the  transaction  on  which  the  implied  aspersion 
was  founded  was.  recent,  that  the  querist  himself 
would  then  scarcely  have  dared  to  hazard  the  im- 
putation. 

"  Mr.  A.  is  doubtless  a  strict  republican.  Every 
man  acquainted  with  him  knows  that  the  intima- 
tions of  the  same  author  respecting  a  supposed  at- 
tempt against  the  late  commander-in-chief,  has 
been  unjustly  grounded  on  nothing  more  than  the 
avowed  jealousy  of  inveterate  power,  which,  as  a 
republican,  it  was  his  duty  to  entertain;  and  would 
to  God  every  member  of  the  community  might 
ever  consider  it  his  duty  to  entertain  similar  jeal- 
ousy. A  good  man  will  never  become  worse  for 
such  jealousies,  and  the  most  perfect  man  may 
even  be  confirmed  in  the  practice  of  virtue  by  their 
means.  These  are  the  essence  of  a  republican 
government." 

It  will  be  seen  by  this  letter  or  communication, 


334  I^IFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  36. 

that  although  party  lines  were  not  yet  distinctly 
drawn,  there  was  a  good  deal  of  suspicion  pre- 
vailing among  those  whose  different  tendencies 
led  them  to  fear  most  from  popular  violence,  an- 
archy, or  the  abuse  of  political  influence  by  dema- 
gogues; and  those  who  dreaded  most,  on  the 
other  hand,  the  slightest  indication  of  a  tendency 
to  aristocratic  or  monarchical  principles  :  between 
those  who  held  the  necessity  of  a  firm  central 
power,  and  those  who  preferred  a  looser  connec- 
tion of  sovereign  and  independent  states.  Doubt- 
less, while  the  more  prominent  of  these  men  acted 
upon  pure  and  patriotic  principles,  there  were 
others,  as  there  always  have  been,  and  always  will 
be,  of  inferior  ability  and  less  disinterested  motives, 
who  hoped  for  greater  influence  the  more  the  au- 
thority was  diluted. 

Mr.  Adams  was  elected  Lieutenant-governor,  and 
continued  to  hold  the  office  until  the  death  of 
Governor  Hancock  in  1794,  when  he  succeeded 
him  as  chief  magistrate.  He  held  the  latter  office 
for  the  two  following  years ;  after  which  he  de- 
clined reelection,  in  consequence  of  the  infirmities 
of  age,  being  then  seventy-five  years  old.  What- 
ever may  have  been  his  political  tendencies,  Mr. 
Adams  had  sacrificed  too  much  and  made  himself 
too  prominent,  in  the  -early  part  of  the  Revolution, 
for  his  sincerity  and  patriotism  to  be  doubted. 
The  old  .cry  of  "Hancock  and  Adams"  is  well 
known ;  as  is  the  fact  of  their  being  selected  by 
the  English  government  for  proscription,  as  the 
two  most  prominent  rebels.  My  father  seems,  at 


i789.|  WASHINGTON'S  VISIT.  335 

this  time,  to  have  acted  in  support  of  those  whose 
tendencies  were  to  the  democratic  side.  He  was 
doubtless  inclined  to  promote  harmony  between 
the  parties ;  and  very  possibly  his  feelings  against 
the  English  government  were  still  too  acute,  and 
his  fears  of  democracy  less  than  they  subsequently 
became. 

The  year  1789,  was  made  memorable  in  Boston 
by  the  visit  of  Washington,  who  came  to  view 
again  the  early  scene  of  his  military  labors  as  com- 
mander of  the  Continental  forces.  This  event  was 
ever  alluded  to  by  Dr.  Warren  with  the  greatest 
enthusiasm.  It  was  an  era  in  the  life  of  every 
Bostonian  of  that  period. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

1789-1793. 
FRENCH   REVOLUTION. METALLIC   TRACTORS. 

Destruction  of  the  Bastile.  —  Massacre  of  September.  —  Republican 
Extremes.  —  Proclamation  of  Neutrality.  —  Opposition  to  Wash- 
ington. —  Recall  of  Genet,  the  French  Minister.  —  Metallic  Trac- 
tors. —  Is  Honesty  the  best  Policy  V  —  Cures  by  the  Tractors.  — 
Death  of  Dr.  Perkins.  —  Small-pox. 

the  fourteenth  of  July,  1789,  an  event  oc- 
curred, the  shock  of  which  was  felt  over  the 
whole  civilized  world ;  an  event  the  influence  of 
which  has  never  ceased,  and  probably  never  will 
cease,  to  be  felt  throughout  Europe  and  America. 
This  was  the  commencement  of  the  French  Revo- 
lution, which  began  with  the  taking  of  the  Bastile. 

The  leaven  which  had  been  diffused  among  the 
French  officers  and  soldiers  in  America,  had  taken 
its  effect ;  and,  added  to  other  well  known  causes, 
accumulated  since  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  had  re- 
sulted in  violent  action. 

The  destruction  of  this  stronghold  of  cruelty  and 
oppression,  was  hailed  in  Boston,  as  in  other  parts 
of  America,  and  even  in  England,  with  the  great- 
est rapture.  Men  overlooked  or  pardoned  the  pop- 
ular violence  and  brutality  with  which  the  act  was 
attended,  —  for  the  governor  and  officers  were 


1789.]  DESTRUCTION    OF   THE   BASTILE.  337 

cruelly  beheaded  by  the  populace  at  the  Place  de 
Greve  —  in  consideration  of  the  enormities  of 
which  this  building  was  the  theatre  and  the  memo- 
rial. The  overthrow  of  the  Bastile  was  regarded 
as  a  signal  of  the  triumph  of  liberty  over  the  whole 
world ;  and  as  giving  new  firmness,  in  especial  to 
the  institutions  of  our  own  country.  My  father  - — 
keenly  alive  to  every  act  that  transpired  in  Europe, 
not  only  as  it  affected  his  own  country,  but  in 
the  general  interests  of  humanity  —  shared  the 
general  exultation,  while  he  regretted  that  the  first 
assault  upon  tyranny  was  stained  with  crime.  Ar- 
dent patriot  as  Dr.  Warren  was,  his  sensibility  was 
never  confined  to  his  own  country.  He  felt  an  al- 
most equal  interest  in  every  good  deed,  or  every 
triumph  of  right  principle  in  every  part  of  the 
world. 

There  had  been,  as  yet,  no  attack  upon  the  king. 
Louis  XVI,  as  the  head  of  the  nation  who  had  be- 
friended us,  was  looked  upon  here  with  feelings  of 
kindness  and  gratitude.  It  was  supposed  that 
abuses  might  be  amended,  more  liberal  institutions 
established,  and  tyrannical  excesses  controlled, 
without  doing  violence  to  the  throne. 

On  the  seventeenth  of  June,  the  National  As- 
sembly was  constituted.  The  title  of  "  King  of 
France "  was  changed  to  "  King  of  the  French." 
The  next  year,  July  fourteenth,  France  was  de- 
clared a  limited  monarchy.  In  June,  1791,  the 
king  and  royal  family  were  arrested ;  and  Septem- 
ber fifteenth,  the  National  Convention  was  sanc- 
tioned by  the  king. 
22 


338  LIFE   OF  DK.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  40. 

The  horrible  massacre  of  September,  17 92,  must 
have  disgusted  and  disappointed  many  friends ;  still 
more  those  who  had  for  some  time  watched  the 
popular  proceedings  with  apprehension ;  but  the 
declaration  of  freedom,  fraternity,  and  alliance, 
with  all  nations  who  wished  to  be  free,  was  received 
with  great  enthusiasm.  On  the  twenty-fourth  of 
January,  1793,  there  was  a  great  celebration  in 
Boston.  An  ox,  roasted  whole,  drawn  in  a  car  by 
sixteen  horses,  with  the  French  and  American 
colors  flying,  was  paraded  through  the  streets,  fol- 
lowed by  four  carts  drawn  by  twenty-four  horses  ; 
containing  sixteen  hundred  loaves  of  bread,  and 
two  hogsheads  of  punch.  The  Lieutenant-gov- 
ernor, Samuel  Adams,  presided  at  the  festivities. 
The  children  of  all  the  schools  were  each  pre- 
sented with  a  cake  stamped  with  the  words  "  Lib- 
erty and  Equality." 

Sympathy  was  expressed,  not  merely  in  rejoic- 
ings. The  elegant  manners  and  address  of  the 
French  officers  and  gentry  who  came  to  assist  the 
American  cause,  had  diffused  a  polish  and  ease  in 
society.  They,  in  their  turn,  became  enamored 
of  republican  simplicity ;  which,  as  is  the  case  with 
all  novelties  and  fashions,  were  copied  to  the  ex- 
tent of  caricature  in  France  ;  and,  in  return,  these 
extremes  found  their  imitators  here.  The  striking 
peculiarities  —  the  absurdities  —  of  a  party  or  a 
sect,  are  more  readily  copied  than  the  essentials ; 
and  we  are  told  that  the  new  French  styles  of  ad- 
dress were  adopted ;  and  masters  and  servants 
hailed  each  other  by  the  title  of  Citizen.  In  a 


1793.]  EXECUTION    OF   THE   KING.  '339 

very  short  time  after  the  celebration  alluded  to 
above,  the  news  arrived  of  the  execution  of  Louis 
Sixteenth. 

Probably  all  enlightened,  educated  men  who 
were  bound  by  no  party  ties,  political  influences  or 
prejudices,  were  now  completely  alienated  from 
the  Revolutionists ;'  and  looked  with  horror  upon 
the  furious,  senseless  masses,  and  their  brutal  lead- 
ers. Nevertheless,  the  arrival  of  Genet,  the  am- 
bassador from  the  new  republic,  was  hailed  with 
gladness ;  and  he  was  received  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  He  brought  the  news  of  war  declared 
by  France  against  England,  February  1st,  1793. 

French  principles  had  extended  to  England. 
The  contagion  of  democratic  ideas  —  Liberty, 
Equality,  Fraternity  —  had  pervaded  every  part  of 
the  nation  ;  and  sympathizing  clubs  were  formed, 
who  corresponded  with  the  Revolutionists,  giving 
serious  alarm  to  the  government  and  the  aristoc- 
racy. A  large  majority  of  both  houses  of  Parlia- 
ment became  urgent  that  war  should  be  declared 
against  France  ;  "  a  holy  war,"  it  was  said, "  against 
treason,  -blasphemy,  and  murder,  —  and  a  neces- 
sary war,  in  order  to  break  off  all  connection  be- 
twixt the  French  Government,  and  the  discon- 
tented part  of  our  own  subjects,  who  could  not ' 
otherwise  be  prevented  from  the  most  close,  con- 
stant, and  dangerous  intercourse  with  them." 

On  the  news  of  the  king's  execution,  the  Eng- 
lish ambassador  was  recalled,  and  a  hint  given  the 
French  envoy  to  depart.  With  a  lingering  hope  of 
peace,  however,  the  British  minister  desired  to 


340  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  40. 

have  satisfactory  assurance  that  the  decree  of  the 
nineteenth  of  November  was  not  to  be  applied  to 
England.  "  The  National  Convention  declares  in 
the  name  of  the  French  nation,  that  it  will  grant 
fraternity  and  assistance  to  all  people  who  wish 
to  recover  their  liberty ;  and  it  charges  the  exec- 
utive power  to  send  the  necessary  orders  to  the 
generals,  to  give  succor  to  such  people,  and  to  de- 
fend those  citizens  who  have  suffered  or  may  suf- 
fer in  the  cause  of  liberty."  It  was  ordered  that 
a  translation  of  this  decree  into  every  foreign  lan- 
guage should  be  printed  for  the  benefit  of  all  who 
were  interested.  The  Convention  and  the  Minis- 
ters of  France  refused  all  explanation  ;  and  finally, 
without  a  dissentient  voice  in  the  Convention,  de- 
clared war  upon  England. 

War  between  England  and  France  could  not  be 
viewed  without  very  serious  concern  by  the  Amer- 
ican Government ;  and,  in  especial,  by  Washington, 
its  clear-sighted  head.  To  carry  out  existing  treat- 
ies with  France,  to  give  shelter  to  French  priva- 
teers, and  deny  the  same  privilege  to  her  enemy, 
would  produce  a  rupture  with  England.  The  best 
measures  that  prudence  could  dictate  were  adopted ; 
and  a  proclamation  of  neutrality  was  issued.  But 
before  news  of  this  proclamation  had  reached 
France,  orders  had  been  issued  there,  in  direct 
violation  of  the  Treaty  of  Commerce,  for  the 
capture  and  forfeiture  of  enemies'  goods  on  board 
neutral  vessels ;  whilst  the  treaty  provided  that  free 
ships  should  make  free  goods. 

It  proved  that  the  secret  instructions  of  Genet 


1793.]  GENET:  DEMOCRATIC  SOCIETIES.  341 

were  to  use  every  means  to  force  the  United  States 
into  a  war  with  England.  The  aid  afforded  by 
them  in  our  Revolution  was  made  the  ground  for 
requiring  the  nation  to  go  hand  to  hand  with  the 
French,  in  their  war  with  England. 

Arriving  at  Charleston,  and  received  there  with 
an  enthusiastic  welcome,  Genet  was  enabled  to 
obtain  volunteers.  Ships  were  fitted  out  as  priva- 
teers, which  sailed  under  the  French  flag,  and  soon 
made  numerous  captures  of  British  vessels. 

On  the  demand  of  the  British  ministers  for  res- 
titution, it  was  decided  by  our  government  that 
the  captures  were  illegal,  and  that  the  vessels 
must  be  restored.  Nevertheless,  Genet  succeeded 
in  rousing  to  a  great  pitch  of  excitement  the  feel- 
ings of  hostility  towards  England,  which  our  Revo- 
lutionary War  had  engendered.  A  severe  struggle 
ensued  between  our  government  on  the  one  hand, 
and  Genet  and  the  French  party  on  the  other. 
He  was  instructed  to  act  with  firmness,  as  it  was 
the  people,  they  said  —  not  the  executive  —  were 
the  sovereigns ;  and  the  people  were  his  friends. 

Democratic  societies,  originated  at  first  by 
Frenchmen,  and  consisting  in  part  of  individuals 
of  that  nation,  were  formed  all  over  the  country, 
who  bitterly  opposed  the  measures  of  Washington. 

There  has  been  of  late  years,  a  desire  to  sink 
into  oblivion  the  violent  hostility  which  at  this 
time,  and  at  others,  was  excited  in  certain  quarters, 
against  one  whose  name  is  now  so  universally  re- 
vered. But  the  truth  of  history  requires  that  the 
fact  should  be  kept  in  mind.  We  cannot  understand 


342  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  40. 

the  motives  and  principles  of  those  who  supported 
his  views,  unless  we  keep  fully  in  mind  the  viru- 
lent opposition  with  which  those  views  were  met. 
The  fact  cannot  be  too  strongly  brought  to  mind, 
and  when  the  wisdom  and  motives  of  an  upright 
administration  are  assailed,  we  should  look  back 
upon  the  case  of  Washington,  recalled  by  another 
instance  in  recent  times,  where  well  placed  con- 
fidence gave  way  at  the  first  shock  of  adverse 
events,  and  the  popular  voice  accused  the  admin- 
istration of  imbecility  and  lack  of  judgment;  a 
censure  so  entirely  reversed  by  subsequent  events. 

Washington,  at  this  moment,  declared  "he  had 
rather  be  in  his  grave,  than  at  the  head  of  affairs. 
He  had  rather  be  on  his  farm  than  to  be  made 
emperor  of  the  world ;  and  yet  they  were  charg- 
ing him  with  wanting  to  be  a  king."  Our  govern- 
ment demanded  the  recall  of  Genet. 

In  the  mean  time,  he  was  called  upon  to  give  up 
all  the  vessels  illegally  captured  ;  as  otherwise  his 
government  would  be  held  responsible  for  the  pe- 
cuniary amount  of  the  necessary  indemnities  to 
Great  Britain.  On  the  accession  of  Danton  and 
Robespierre  to  the  administration,  in  October,  1793, 
Genet  was  recalled. 

Somewhere  about  this  time  Dr.  Elisha  Perkins  of 
Norwich,  Connecticut,  conceived  the  idea  of  curing 
diseases  by  means  of  the  application  of  certain  in- 
struments, formed  of  different  metals  united,  which 
he  designated  as  "  Metallic  Tractors ;  "  but  which 
obtained  afterwards  the  more  familiar  designation 
of  "Perkins'  Points." 


1793.]  PERKINS'  POINTS.  343 

He  had  many  interviews  with  Dr.  Warren,  who 
was  perfectly  ready  to  hear  his  explanations,  and 
give  a  fair  trial  to  his  invention.  But  my  father, 
however  ardent  in  disposition,  had  from  his  early 
days  been  too  much  a  man  of  practice,  to  enter 
very  warmly  into  any  novelties  which  did  not  ap- 
peal to  reason. 

He  wanted  the  faith  necessary  to  make  the  ex- 
periment successful ;  and  he  could  not  perceive 
the  beneficial  result  which  the  tractors  were  sup- 
posed to  produce.  He  was  accustomed,  therefore, 
to  speak  of  "  Perkins'  Points  "  in  the  same  tone,  as 
of  the  predictions  of  Moll  Pitcher,  or  the  discovery 
of  perpetual  motion. 

The  subject,  however,  is  one  that  deserves  seri- 
ous attention,  in  many  points  of  view.  We  are 
told  that  three  universities  in  America,  declared  in 
favor  of  the  discovery.  In  London,  a  Perkinian 
institution  was  formed.  In  Copenhagen,  it  was 
equally  successful.  We  are  told  that  the  cures 
effected,  amounted  by  computation  to  one  million 
five  hundred  thousand!  What  greater  good  could 
any  man  aspire  to,  than  to  effect,  by  a  discovery 
of  his  own,  the  relief  of  pain  or  disease  in  one 
million  five  hundred  thousand  cases.  A  man  might 
consider  that  his  life  had  been  well  spent ,  and  he 
might  in  old  age  look  back  upon  it  with  satisfac- 
tion, could  he  be  conscious  of  giving  relief  in  one 
twentieth  part  of  this  number  of  cases.  Does  not 
such  a  man  deserve  better  to  be  remembered,  than 
the  man  who  has  slain  his  thousands  or  tens  of 
thousands,  if  any  hero  since  Saul  or  David  has 
been  so  successful  ? 


344  LIFE    OF   DK.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AcE  40. 

Was  there  really  anything  in  this  discovery? 
If  so,  why  have  the  Points  been  abandoned  ? 

Mesmer  had  published  his  discoveries  in  1766  ; 
previous  to  which  time,  Father  Hell  had  effected 
some  cures,  real  or  pretended,  with  common  mag- 
nets. Dr.  Perkins  had  undoubtedly  heard  of  these 
assumed  discoveries ;  and  he  must  have  been  fa- 
miliar with  the  effects  of  galvanism  and  Voltaic 
electricity  upon  the  human  system. 

After  trial  with  various  metals  for  several  years, 
he  fixed  upon  two  materials,  one  of  the  appear- 
ance of  steel,  the  other  of  brass,  about  three  inches 
in  length,  pointed  at  one  end.  The  Points  were 
drawn  over  the  affected  parts  in  a  downward  direc- 
tion, about  twenty  minutes  at  each  time.  The  af- 
fections in  which  they  were  found  successful,  were 
general  inflammation,  pain  in  the  head,  face,  teeth, 
breast,  etc. ;  in  other  words,  in  what  are  now  called 
neuralgic  pains. 

There  are  certain  principles  which  physicians 
very  generally  lose  sight  of,  though  they  are  often 
acted  upon  by  quacks.  We  direct  a  patient  to  be 
kept  very  quiet ;  and  a  very  simple  prescription, 
a  harmless  dose,  given  once  in  four  hours  or  so,  is 
considered  the  most  rational  prescription.  In  some 
diseases,  and  some  systems,  it  is  the  only  course. 
In  typhoid  fever,  the  system  is  prostrated,  the  fac- 
ulties are  dulled,  the  patient  only  wants  to  be  left 
undisturbed. 

In  some  constitutions,  pain  has  a  like  effect ;  it 
subdues,  it  prostrates ;  the  sufferer  wishes  to  be 
let  alone.  In  others,  it  rouses'  and  irritates  ;  there 


1793.]  METALLIC    TRACTOES.  345 

is  a  physical  impatience  of  suffering  which  cannot 
be  controlled,  an  unwearied  battle  with  the  disor- 
der. The  patients  require  attention  the  whole 
time ;  they  must  have  some  one  working  over 
them.  In  such  cases,  the  mere  passing  the  hand 
gently  over  the  affected  part  for  any  length  of 
time,  even  the  holding  the  patient's  hand,  soothes 
the  system  and  fits  it  for  repose.  If  other  rem- 
edies have  been  given,  it  prepares  the  way  for 
their  effect,  just  as  the  administration  of  ether 
will  prepare  the  way  for  opiates. 

There  is  also  another  effect  from  the  very  gentle 
passage  of  the  hand  over  the  skin.  I  have  been 
very  much  surprised  to  find  that  in  the  intolerable 
itching  of  Eczema  or  Heat  Kash,  which  comes  on 
in  the.  night,  the  very  gentle  passage  of  the  hand 
downwards  over  the  affected  part,  will  quiet  the 
irritation.  Eubbing  or  scratching  makes  it  still 
more  intense  ;  but  the  passage  of  the  palm  of  the 
hand,  in  the  gentlest  possible  manner,  down  the 
limb,  so  as  to  produce  only  the  slightest  titillation, 
will  stop,  the  suffering  at  once. 

But  in  the  use  of  instruments  like  the  tractors, 
there  is  not  only  the  soothing  influence  of  gentle 
motion,  there  is  the  effect  of  expectancy.  It  is, 
when  we  reflect  upon  it,  a  wonderful  law  of  nature, 
and  in  appearance  perfectly  contradictory.  The 
present  moment  only  is  our  own ;  and  yet  it  is 
what  we  trouble  ourselves  least  about.  A  man  of 
ordinary  courage  will  bear  any  amount  of  pain,  ii* 
he  can  be  sure  of  instantaneous  relief  or  benefit  from 
it.  So  in  the  midst  of  the  irritation  of  pain,  any 


346  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  40. 

soothing  application  from  which  benefit  may  be  ex- 
pected, acts  as  a  sedative,  composes  the  system, 
removes  the  irritation,  and  allows  healthy  action  to 
spring  up.  These  are  principles  which  the  reg- 
ular physician  too  often  neglects.  He  thinks  it 
beneath  his  dignity,  or  too  great  a  demand  upon 
his  time,  to  perform  the  part  of  nurse  or  assist- 
ant. He  writes  his  prescription,  and  gives  his 
orders,  but  he  seldom  works  over  the  patient  him- 
self. 

Dr.  Perkins  was  no  quack.  He  is  said  to  have 
possessed  great  natural  endowments,  bodily  and 
mental.  He  was  six  feet  high,  and  of  remarkable 
symmetry  ;  a  man  of  great  liberality  of  character, 
strict  honor  and  integrity,  and  rarely  excelled  in 
address  and  colloquial  powers.  Such  a  man  might 
have  effected  wonderful  cures,  merely  by  the  im- 
position of  hands. 

A  recent  biographical  writer  (Adolphus  Trol- 
lope)  thinks  he  has  made  the  discovery  that  hon- 
esty is  not  the  best  policy,  as  regards  worldly 
affairs,  and  unfortunately  the  opinion  finds  too 
ready  belief  at  the  present  time.  Because  fraud 
and  villainy  have  a  transient  success,  and  the  un- 
scrupulous and  crafty  accumulate  large  fortunes, 
people  exclaim  that  honest  men  are  trodden  down, 
and  must  remain  poor.  They  do  not  consider  that 
a  fair  reputation  and  clear  conscience  are  any 
compensation,  and  that  a  stigma  never  fails  event- 
ually to  be  placed  upon  the  individual,  however 
wealthy,  who  has  become  rich  by  doubtful  meas- 
ures ;  a  stigma  which  it  is  very  probable  he  would 


1793.J  METALLIC    TRACTORS.  347 

give  half  his  fortune  to  remove  j  if  he  has  not 
formed  the  degrading  love  of  money  for  itself, 
which  is  its  own  best  punishment.  Unfortunately 
for  Mr.  Trollope's  theory,  his  own  memoir  proves 
just  its  reverse.  The  hero  of  his  history,  Philippo 
Strozzi,  by  a  skillful,  tortuous,  and  unscrupulous 
course,  accumulates  a  vast  amount  of  wealth ;  but 
he  is  constantly  suspected  and  plundered  by  all 
parties,  and  finally  imprisoned  and  put  to  death 
by  his  own.  A  greater  proof  of  the  truth  of  the 
Latin  sentence,  "  Raro  antedecentem  scelestum  desendt 
pcena,"  could  not  be  found. 

Humbug  is  never  ultimately  successful  in  med- 
icine, or  in  anything  else.  An  enthusiast,  a  fa- 
natic, a  madman,  will  obtain  a  thousand  followers 
where  an  impostor  will  obtain  ten.  The  Me- 
tallic Points  owed  their  efficacy  or  success,  first, 
to  the  sincerity,  earnestness,  and  peculiar  char- 
acteristics of  the  inventor ;  secondly,  to  nov- 
elty ;  thirdly,  to  their  connection  with  a  principle 
better  understood  now,  than  formerly,  but  still 
sufficiently  mysterious,  the  effect  of  magnetism 
and  electricity  upon  the  animal  system.  There  is 
still  a  wide  field  for  research  upon  these  matters. 
At  this  time,  Mesmer  had  been  adjudged  an  impos- 
tor ;  animal  magnetism,  with  its  wonders  and  de- 
lusions, in  its  modern  form,  had  not  yet  taken  the 
field  in  Dr.  Perkins'  day. 

I  find  among  my  father's  papers,  a  certificate  of 
Dr.  Abiel  flail,  with  regard  to  his  experience  with 
the  Tractors. 


348  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  40. 

"  I  certify  that  in  the  course  of  my  practice,  I 
have  made  frequent  experiments  with  Dr.  Perkins' 
Points,  in  removing  agues,  rheumatic  pains,  head- 
aches, and  inflammation  of  the  eyes.  One  case  of 
rheumatism  I  will  relate. 

"  Captain  J.  R.,  aged  forty,  was  violently  seized 
with  rheumatism  in  his  back  and  knees,  which  con- 
tinued forty-eight  hours  with  no  remission.  I  was 
called  in  the  night,  for  they  were  afraid  he  would 
not  live  the  night  out,  his  pain  was  so  severe. 
When  I  came,  I  thought  best  to  let  blood ;  but 
while  warming  the  water  to  put  his  feet  into,  I  ap- 
plied the  Points  to  one  of  his  knees,  and  so  down 
his  leg,  which  in  a  few  minutes  removed  the  pain, 
and  brought  on  very  free  perspiration.  I  then  ap- 
plied them  to  the  other  knee,  which  had  the  same 
effect  as  on  the  first ;  and  then  applied  them  to 
his  back  with  the  same  success.  He  then  got  up 
and  walked  about  the  room,  and  the  next  day 
went  out  of  doors,  and  had  no  more  of  the  com- 
plaint. 

"  I  will  mention  one  case  of  sore  eye. 

"  Mr.  P.  C.'s  child,  twenty-four  hours  after  birth, 
was  noticed  to  have  an  inflammation  of  one  of  his 
eyes.  Every  method  that  is  prescribed  in  this 
complaint  was  taken  with  little  or  no  effect,  until 
the  child  was  two  years  old ;  then  I  applied  the 
Points  about  two  minutes,  and  to  my  great  aston- 
ishment, the  eye  was  perfectly  well  in  forty-eight 
hours. 

(Signed.)  «ABIEL  HALL." 


1793;]  SMALL-POX.  349 

Dr.  Perkins  fell  a  victim  to  his  exertions  in  the 
yellow  fever  of  1799,  in  New  York.  He  took  the 
fever  himself,  and  died  at  the  age  of  59.  No  one 
appeared  to  prosecute  his  invention,  and  it  died 
with  him.  The  Tractors  were  abandoned,  as  every 
new  thing,  which  meets  at  first  with  wonderful 
success,  is  apt  to  do.  Being  iised  for  everything, 
and  in  all  sorts  of  cases,  numerous  failures  must 
ensue,  and  the  remedy  sinks  into  oblivion ;  or 
slumbers  until  revived  in  some  new  form. 

The  small-pox  visited  Boston  as  an  epidemic  in 
1792,  producing  great  alarm .  and  consternation ; 
the  greater,  because  it  was  supposed  that  the  in- 
fection could  spread  through  the  medium  of  the 
air  to  a  considerable  distance,  producing  deadly 
pestilence. 

This  belief  has  prevailed  to  a  much  later  period. 
Many  people  fear,  to  this  day,  to  pass  a  house,  or 
even  go  into  a  street  where  there  is*  a  case  of 
small-pox.  I  have  heard  of  an  instance  within  a 
few  years  and  not  many  miles  from  Boston,  where 
the  usual  rites  of  burial  were  refused  to  a  person 
who  had  died  of  small-pox ;  and  only  one  adven- 
turous individual  was  found,  to  wrap  the  body  in  a 
tarred  sheet,  and  place  it  in  the  ground.  The 
idea  apparently  was  that  it  would  promote  conta- 
gion even  after  burial,  except  for  the  tarred  sheet. 
But  at  the  period  when  the  disease  was  still  un- 
tamed, and  raged  in  all  its  loathsomeness  and  fatal- 
ity, there  was  reason  for  terror. 

At  this  visitation,  the  whole  town  was  inocu- 
lated with  small-pox  matter  in  the  course  of  three 


350  LIFE   OF   DE.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  40 

days.  Nine  thousand  one  hundred  and  fifty  were 
subjected  to  it.  One  hundred  and  sixty-five  died. 
Two  hundred  and  thirty  had  it  in  the  natural  way, 
of  whom  thirty-three  died.  At  this  time,  the  pop- 
ulation of  Boston  amounted  to  twenty  thousand 
persons. 

The  deaths  were  principally  children,  and  among 
the  poorer  population.  "  Those  whose  circum- 
stances admitted,  sent  their  children  to  the  neigh- 
boring hospitals  for  inoculation."  Of  those  who 
remained,  whole  families  were  often  crowded  to- 
gether in  single  rooms,  where  fires  were  con- 
stantly kept  for  the  purposes  of  cooking,  and  the 
patients  were  destitute  of  most  of  the  comforts  of 
life,  with  very  little  personal  attendance,  from  the 
disproportion  of  nurses  to  the  numbers  of  the  sick." 

"  The  consequences  which  ensued,  constituted 
a  scene  of  confusion  and  wretchedness,  which  no 
one  who  was  a  witness  could  have  viewed  without 
horror  and  commiseration." l 

The  recent  small-pox  panic  in  Boston,  shows 
that  the  case  is  not  entirely  different  now,  since, 
on  the  one  hand,  the  most  vague  and  absurd  no- 
tions of  the  extent  of  its  contagiousness  have  pre- 
vailed, while  on  the  other,  the  most  obtuse  and  stu- 
pid neglect  of  rational  precautions.  The  facts 
show  the  unsettled  state  of  medical  opinion  with 
regard,  to  the  laws  of  contagious  diseases. 

1  Mercurial  Practice,  page  133. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

1793-1794. 
YELLOW    FEVER   IN   PHILADELPHIA. 

Dr.  Warren's  Letter  to  the  Medical  Fraternity.  —  Speech  on  Retalia- 
tory Resolutions. 

IN  the  summer  of  1793,  the  yellow  fever  ap- 
peared in  Philadelphia,  and  prevailed  with  the 
most  terrible  severity  and  fatality,  so  as  to  render 
it  indeed  as  Dr.  Thacher  terms  it,  "  a  memor- 
able event "  in  the  history  of  the  United  States. 
Nearly  four  thousand  and  forty-four  persons  per- 
ished. Panic  and  dismay  were  universal,  and  ex- 
tended, as  was  natural,  to  the  neighboring  cities. 
The  nature,  cause,  origin  of  this  disease,  became 
the  universal  subject  of  inquiry.  The  following 
letter,  on  behalf  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety, was  addressed  by  Dr.  Warren  to  the  Medical 
Fraternity  of  Philadelphia. 

"  GENTLEMEN,  —  As  the  inhabitants  of  this  town 
are  under  some  apprehension  of  the  introduction 
of  the  malignant  disease,  which,  from  the  best  in- 
formation, is  now  raging  in  your  city,  and  as  a 
great  variety  of  contradictory  reports  have  been 
spread  with  respect  to  the  nature  of  the  distemper, 


352  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  41. 

the  degree  of  its  contagion,  the  mortality  attending 
it,  and  the  method  of  cure,  I  am  directed  by  the 
Council  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  to 
request  of  you  a  communication  of  such  facts  re- 
specting the  disease,  as  may  enable  them  either  to 
dispel  the  fears  which  at  present  so  generally  pre- 
vail in  the  minds  of  the  community,  or  at  least, 
to  mitigate  its  violence,  should  it  unhappily  make 
its  appearance  among  us. 

"  You  would  greatly  oblige  us,  gentlemen,  and 
you  would,  at  the  same  time,  serve  the  cause  of 
humanity,  if  you  would,  as  early  as  possible,  trans- 
mit to  us  as  particular  a  history  of  the  disease  as 
your  time  will  admit ;  that  we  may  be  able,  by  an 
acquaintance  with  its  diagnosis,  to  detect  it  in  its 
earliest  stage,  and  to  use  such  precautions  as  may 
prevent  its  spread.  If  any  special  means  of  pre- 
vention and  preservation  from  the  infection  have 
been  ascertained,  be  pleased  to  notice  them.  If 
various  methods  of  cure  have  been  attempted,  and 
any  doubt  remains  as  to  which  has  been  most  suc- 
cessful, we  should  thank  you  for  the  general  re- 
sults of  your  experience  on  this  subject. 

"We  most  sincerely  sympathize  with  the  citi- 
zens of  Philadelphia  on  this  melancholy  occasion, 
and  particularly  with  our  brethren  in  the  medical 
line,  on  whom  the  burthen  of  the  calamity  must 
most  pointedly  fall.  We  should  feel  exceedingly 
happy  could  we  contribute  in  any  degree  to  an 
alleviation  of  their  distress.  But  Providence  has 
so  ordered  it,  that  though  we  can  afford  no  aid 
to  you,  it  may  be  in  your  power  essentially  to 


1793.1  YELLOW    FEVER.  353 

serve  us,  by  enabling  us  to  avail  ourselves  in  this 
case,  of  that  experience,  which  to  our  regret,  must 
have  been  so  dearly  to  your  cost. 

"  A  very  early  attention  to  this  subject  will  be 
the  more  acceptable,  as  reports  are  already  pre- 
vailing, though  we  believe  without  foundation,  of 
the  introduction  of  the  distemper  into  some  of  the 
ports  of  this  Commonwealth.  We  have  further 
earnestly  to  request  that  you  would,  from  time  to 
time,  honor  us  with  your  correspondence  on  this 
subject,  and  communicate  whatever  you  may  think 
of  utility  for  the  prevention  or  cure  of  this  dis- 
ease." 

With  Dr.  Warren,  expressions  of  sympathy  and 
condolence  were  no  mere  words  of  form,  no  for- 
mula of  speech,  due  in  a  case  of  this  kind,  from 
the  organ  of  an  association  ;  his  words,  written  and 
spoken,  came  from  his  heart.  He  spoke,  wrote, 
and  acted  from  impulse,  but  his  impulses  were 
guided  by  the  most  rare  forgetfulness  of  self. 
With  an  organization  keenly  susceptible  of  pain 
himself,  he  ever  feared  more  for  the  sufferings  of 
others  than  for  his  own.  It  might  almost  be  said  that 
he  felt  as  much  for  the  sufferers  in  a  case  like  this, 
as  if  the  disease  had  invaded  his  own  family  circle. 

The  disease  did  not  reach  .Boston  at  this  time  ; 
but  cases  appeared  here  in  1796,  and  it  prevailed 
with  great  malignity  and  very  extensively  in 
1798,  though  it  never  reached  the  height  of  the 
epidemic  in  Pennsylvania. 

The  American  novelist,  Brown,  has  given  a  vivid 


23 


354  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [  AGE  40. 

and  faithful   picture  of  this  epidemic  in  "  Arthur 
Mervin." 

"  The  city  ....  was  involved  in  confusion  and 
panic  ;  for  a  pestilential  disease  had  begun  its  de- 
structive progress.  Magistrates  and  citizens  were 
flying  to  the  country.  The  numbers  of  sick  multi- 
plied beyond  all  example  even  in  the  pest  houses 
of  the  Levant.  The  malady  was  malignant  and 
unsparing. 

"  The  usual  occupations  and  amusements  of  life 
were  at  an  end.  Terror  had  exterminated  all  the 
sentiments  of  nature.  Wives  were  deserted  by 
their  husbands,  and  children  by  their  parents. 
Some  had  shut  themselves  up  in  their  houses,  and 
debarred  themselves  from  all  communication  with 
the  rest  of  mankind.  The  consternation  of  others 
had  destroyed  their  understanding,  and  their  mis- 
guided steps  hurried  them  into  the  midst  of  the 
danger  which  they  had  previously  labored  to  shun. 
Men  were  seized  by  this  disease  in  the  streets ; 
passengers  fled  from  them ;  entrance  into  their 
own  dwellings  was  denied  to  them ;  they  perished 
in  the  public  ways. 

"  The  chambers  of  disease  were  deserted,  and  the 
sick  left  to  die  of  negligence.  None  could  be 
found  to  remove  the  lifeless  bodies.  Their  remains, 
suffered  to  decay  by  piecemeal,  filled  the  air  with 
deadly  exhalations,  and  added  tenfold  to  the  dev- 
astation." 

This  description  almost  equals  De  Foe's  account 


1793.]  YELLOW   FEVER    IN   PHILADELPHIA.  355 

of  the  plague  in  London  ;  but  in  proof  that  it  is  no 
exaggerated  picture  of  the  disease,  heightened  or 
colored  by  the  pen  of  a  romancer,  I  quote  from 
the  Memoir  of  Dr.  Rush  in  Thacher's  "  Medical 
Biography." 

"  This  general  calamity  lasted  about  one  hun- 
dred days,  extending  from  July  to  November. 
The  deaths  in  the  whole  of  this  distressing  period, 
were  four  thousand  and  forty-four,  or  something 
more  than  thirty-eight  each  day.  on  an  average. 

"  Whole  families  were  confined  by  it.  There 
was  a  deficiency  of  nurses  for  the  sick.  There  was 
likewise  a  great  deficiency  of  physicians,  from  the 
desertion  of  some,  and  the  sickness  and  death  of 
others.  At  one  time,  there  were  but  three  physi- 
cians who  were  able  to  do  business  out  of  their 
houses,  and  at  this  time,  there  were  probably  not 
less  than  six  thousand  persons  ill  with  the  fever. 

"  A  cheerful  countenance  was  rarely  to  be  seen 
for  six  weeks.  The  streets,  everywhere,  discov- 
ered marks  of  the  distress  that  pervaded  the  city. 
In  walking  for  many  hundred  yards,  few  persons 
were  met,  except  such  as  were  in  quest  of  a  physi- 
cian, a  nurse,  a  bleeder,  or  the  men  who  buried 
the  dead.  The  hearse  alone,  kept  up  the  remem- 
brance of  the  noise  of  carriages  or  carts  in  the 
streets.  A  black  man,  leading  or  driving  a  horse, 
with  a  corpse  on  a  pair  of  chaise  wheels,  met  the 
eye  in  most  of  the  streets  of  the  city,  at  every 
hour  of  the  day,  while  the  noise  of  the  same  wheels 
passing  slowly  over  the  pavement,  kept  alive  an- 


356  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  40. 

guish  and  fear  in  the  sick  and  well,  every  hour  of 
the  night." 

It  was  thirty  years  since  the  fever  had  appeared 
before,  and  it  baffled  the  skill  of  the  oldest  and 
most  judicious  physicians.  They  differed  about  its 
nature  and  treatment. 

Every  variety  of  treatment  proved  unsuccessful, 
until  finally,  Dr.  Rush  adopted  the  plan  of  giving 
full  purgatives  —  ten  grains  of  calomel,  combined 
with  ten  or  fifteen  of  jalap,  besides  other  remedies, 
to  "  abstract  excessive  stimulus  from  the  system  ; " 
his  theory  being,  that  the  weak  and  low  pulse  in 
this  disease,  was  the  effect  of  depression,  not  of 
exhaustion.  This  treatment  was  followed  by  im- 
mense success,  so  that  he  was  universally  sought 
after.  He  had  more  business  than  he  and  his  pu- 
pils could  possibly  do,  besides  others  employed  in 
helping  them  to  put  up  the  powders.  The  biogra- 
pher of  Dr.  Rush  says,  that  probably  not  less  than 
six  thousand  persons  in  Philadelphia,  were  saved 
from  death,  by  purging  and  bleeding,  during  the 
autumn  of  1793. 

It  may  possibly  be  said,  by  those  who  doubt 
the  efficacy  of  this  sort  of  treatment,  that  the 
epidemic  had  probably  spent  its  force,  and  other 
methods  might  have  been  found  equally  successful. 
Forty  years  ago,  the  debility  of  fever  was  regarded 
as  produced,  as  it  were,  by  a  weight  on  the  system. 
When  the  weight  or  congestion  was  removed,  a 
rebound  took  place.  Now,  the  weakness  is  con- 
sidered real,  not  artificial. 


1793.1  RETALIATORY   RESOLUTIONS.  35*7 

I  have  spoken  before  of  the  troubles  with  France. 
Difficulties  had  also  arisen  with  England.  A  Brit- 
ish Order  in  Council,  dated  November  6th,  1793, 
had  directed  their  cruisers  to  stop  and  bring  in  for 
adjudication  all  ships  laden  with  the  produce  of 
any  French  colony,  or  carrying  supplies  for  the  use 
of  any  such  colony ;  an  order  which  would  destroy 
all  neutral  trade  with  the  French  colonies.  It  pro- 
duced very  great  excitement  among  both  parties, 
when  it  was  received  here.  Resolutions  for  raising 
fifteen  regiments  of  soldiers  were  proposed  in  Con- 
gress. 

On  the  third  of  January,  Mr.  Madison  proposed 
resolutions  imposing  higher  duties  and  greater  re- 
strictions on  the  manufactures,  products,  and  ships, 
of  a  certain  nation  or  nations  therein  described. 
This  was  with  a  view  of  inducing  other  nations  to 
enter  into  competition  with  England,  for  supplying 
us  with  manufactures.  Mr.  M.  insisted  it  would 
make  "  our  enemies "  feel  our  power,  by  depriv- 
ing of  bread  those  who  had  manufactured  for  us. 
The  resolutions  were  opposed  by  Fisher  Ames,  who 
showed  in  a  most  able  speech,  that  we  ourselves 
should  be  the  greatest  sufferers  if  their  passage 
prevailed. 

At  a  town  meeting  on  this  subject,  held  in  Bos- 
ton, Dr.  Warren  spoke  as  follows :  — 

"  The  present  question  I  conceive  to  be  one  of 
the  most  important  that  has  engaged  the  town, 
since  the  Revolution. 

"Nothing  but  a  full  conviction  of  its  importance, 


358  LIFE  OF  DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  41. 

sir,  could  have  induced  me  to  deviate  so  far  from 
the  line  of  my  profession,  and  from  the  habits  in 
which  I  have  been  conversant,  as  to  offer  my  senti- 
ments upon  a  subject  which  has  been  so  ably  dis- 
cussed by  the*  gentlemen  who  have  preceded  me. 

"An  honest  wish  to  investigate  truth,  and  to 
embrace  it  when  found,  is  the  only  title  I  can  plead 
to  the  candor  of  my  fellow-citizens,  whilst  I  venture 
to  make  a  few  observations  on  the  general  nature, 
and  probable  tendency  of  the  measures  in  debate, 
unused  as  I  am  to  speaking  in  public,  and  desti- 
tute as  I  find  myself  of  the  qualities  requisite  for 
enforcing  conviction  upon  the  minds  of  so  respect- 
able and  so  enlightened  an  audience.  Upon  a 
subject  with  which  I  am  so  little  acquainted,  I 
shall  presume  to  offer  only  such  ideas  as  have  oc- 
curred to  me,  on  a  view  of  it  as  a  system  of  com- 
mercial retaliation.  Any  other  mode  of  examina- 
tion, which  might  descend  to  the  particular  merits 
of  the  system  proposed,  would  far  exceed  the  hum- 
ble abilities  I  possess.  To  this,  I  profess  myself 
utterly  inadequate. 

"The  grievances  complained  of,  and  the  imposi- 
tions we  suffer  in  the  commerce  of  the  country,  are 
evils  of  a  most  serious  and  alarming  nature.  Their 
existence  cannot  be  disputed,  and  the  only  ques- 
tion now  before  the  town  is,  whether  the  proposed 
method  is  the  most  likely  to  obtain  a  redress  of 
them? 

"  On  the  principles  of  common  sense,  and  on 
these  only,  do  I  feel  myself  in  any  degree  qualified 
for  this  discussion.  On  the  principles  of  common 
sense,  I  say,  sir,  let  us  examine  the  question. 


1794.1  SPEECH    ON   RETALIATORY   RESOLUTIONS.  359 

"  The  two  most  powerful  nations  of  Europe  are 
now  engaged  in  a  war  which  involves  in  it  the 
most  important  interests  of  states  and  of  empires. 
In  the  course  of  this  contest,  the  United  States 
have  been  unfortunately  so  situated  as  to  have 
suffered  very  considerable  injuries  in  her  com- 
merce with  these  powers.  Most  of  these  injuries, 
we  will  allow,  have  been  received  from  the  power 
against  which  these  resolutions  are  pointed,  but  it 
appears  to  me,  sir,  of  some  consequence  to  deter- 
mine whether  they  have  originated  with  the  govern- 
ment, or  only  from  individuals  of  that  power.  So 
far  as  I  can  learn,  sir,  it  has  been  chiefly  from  the 
latter. 

u  If  so,  sir,  is  it  not  the  first  step  which  reason 
dictates  to  be  taken  on  the  occasion,  to  represent 
those  injuries  to  the  government  of  Great  Britain, 
and  seek  —  perhaps  even  demand  —  redress  ? 

"  But  admitting,  sir,  that  this  government  has 
actually  combined  with  other  powers  to  intercept 

our  intercourse  with  France,  are  we  necessarilv  to 

«/ 

conclude  that  this  measure  arises  from  a  direct  en- 
mity to  the  commerce  of  these  States  ?  I  humbly 
conceive,  sir,  that  this  is  not  necessarily  to  be  in- 
ferred. 

"  I  view  it,  sir,  as  one  of  the  last  and  most  des- 
perate efforts  of  that  nation  to  carry  her  points 
against  France ;  a  course  which  was  a  glorious 
one  when  the  exertions  commenced,  which  were 
made  in  defence  of  it,  and  which,  however  these 
principles  may  at  times  have  been  lost  sight  of  in 
the  pursuit,  will,  I  doubt  not,  finally  be  purged 


360  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  41. 

from  the  stains  it  has  contracted,  and  rise  trium- 
phant over  the  impotent  malice  of  its  enemies. 

"If  the  restrictions  imposed  by  Great  Britain 
upon  our  commerce  originate  from  the  motives 
suggested,  they  are  a  strong  argument  that  she 
begins  to  despair  of  success  from  any  other  meas- 
ures, and  now  means  to  suppress  the  French  Revo- 
lution, by  cutting  off  their  supplies  from  this  coun- 
try. The  obvious  question  then  is,  whether  the 
resolutions  on  the  table  will  free  our  commerce 
from  the  shackles  imposed,  and  enable  us  to  force 
our  supplies  into  France  ? 

"  If  the  system  of  Great  Britain  was  originated 
from  these  principles,  it  appears  to  me  clear  that 
they  will  persevere  in  them,  for  the  same  reasons 
that  they  adopted  them;  at  any  rate,  is  it  not 
highly  probable,  that  for  a  considerable  time  our 
commerce  must  be  entirely  suspended  ? 

"  Is  it  not  also  highly  probable  that  the  measures 
proposegl  would  be  the  means  of  utterly  sacrificing 
the  immense  property  which,  by  the  detention  of 
our  ships  in  the  ports  of  Great  Britain  and  her 
dominions,  are  now  in  her  hands  ? 

"  If  we  consider  ourselves  as  the  allies  of  France, 
and  as  well  wishers  to  her  Revolution,  and  I  do  con- 
ceive, sir,  that  this  may  have  been  a  very  honest 
motive  for  bringing  forward  these  resolutions,  can 
we  believe  that  this  system  of  retaliation  would 
place  us  in  a  situation  to  assist  them,  in  their  con- 
test with  their  enemies  ?  The  only  way,  sir,  by 
which  we  can  be  useful  to  our  allies,  is  either  by 
furnishing  them  with  men,  or  with  money.  The 


1794.J  SPEECH    ON    RETALIATORY   RESOLUTIONS.  361 

former  they  cannot  want,  and  the  latter  we  can 
never  furnish  them,  if  by  any  means  the  property 
now  at  stake  should  be  lost  or  our  commerce  anni- 
hilated. The  debt  we  owe  them  cannot  be  paid 
under  these  circumstances,  and  I  cannot  conceive 
any  assistance  we  could  afford  them  in  time  of 
peace,  should  that  continue  after  the  measures  are 
adopted,  and  much  less,  should  a  war  be  the  conse- 
quence of  them. 

"  Upon  these  considerations,  sirj  as  a  friend  to 
my  country,  as  a  friend  to  the  nation  with  whom 
we  are  in  alliance,  I  am  opposed  to  the  resolutions, 
and  as  an  enemy  to  war,  deprecate  the  adoption  of 
them  at  the  present  period. 

"  Whether  the  present  European  war  should  ter- 
minate in  favor  of  Great  Britain  or  against  her,  it 
appears  to  me  that  the  most  favorable  time  for 
measures  of  this  kind  will  be  after  that  period  ;  for, 
after  a  most  expensive  war  which  must  exhaust 
her  finances,  almost  equally  in  either  case,  we  shall 
have  every  advantage  over  them  for  commercial 
arrangement. 

"  I  know  it  has  been  said,  sir,  that  the  same  lan- 
guage with  respect  to  the  time  for  commencing 
opposition  against  Great  Britain,  was  held  at  the 
beginning  of  the  late  Revolution,  but  I  conceive 
that  our  situation  is  totally  different  from  what  it 
was  then. 

"  We  were  then,  sir,  laboring  under  all  the  evils 
of  actual  hostility.  The  fleets  of  Great  Britain  had 
blocked  up  our  ports,  her  armies  were  quartered 
on  our  cities,  and  her  soldiers  had  shed  the  blood 


362  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  41. 

of  our  fellow-citizens  in  our  streets,  and  at  our 
doors.  Our  application  for  redress  had  been  refused 
with  contempt.  That  it  was  time  then,  sir,  to  rouse 
into  resistance,  was  denied  by  no  one  who  had  the 
feelings  of  a  man.  But  it  would  be  absurd  to  in- 
sist that,  therefore,  we  are  to  precipitate  ourselves 
into  measures  which  may  be  ruinous  in  their  con- 
sequences, without  the  best  information,  the  most 
deliberate  consideration,  and  before  the  legitimate 
means  had  been  resorted  to  for  redress ;  and  I  am 
sincerely  apprehensive,  sir,  it  would  be  productive 
of  evils  which  we  may  have  occasion  deeply  to  de- 
plore, when  it  may  be  too  late  to  remedy  them." 

The  moderation  and  clear  good  sense  of  this 
speech  are  worthy  of  notice.  Party  feeling  was 
now  raging  pretty  high.  Those  who  had  opposed 
the  Constitution  from  fear  of  its  monarchical  ten- 
dencies, or  its  tendency  to  consolidation,  retaining 
their  bitter  hatred  towards  England,  held  to  demo- 
cratic France,  and  wished  to  adopt  violent  meas- 
ures, relying  upon  French  protection  and  assist- 
ance. The  speech  was  carefully  adapted  to  concili- 
ate both  parties,  and  induce  them  to  be  guided, 
not  by  party  feeling,  but  by  appeal  to  their  reason. 

The  Retaliatory  Resolutions  were  rejected.  The 
calm  judgment  of  Washington,  who  never  suffered 
himself  to  be  carried  away  by  hostile,  or  misled 
by  friendly  feeling,  adopted  a  better  course.  He 
sent  a  trustworthy  and  capable  negotiator,  Mr.  Jay, 
a  man  of  "  the  loftiest  and  most  disinterested  pa- 
triotism, "  to  the  Court  of  St.  James,  to  endeavor 
to  arrange  these  difficulties. 


1794.]  COMPLAINTS   AGAINST   ENGLAND.  363 

Mr.  Jay  was  well  received,,  and  after  great  labor 
and  overcoming  severe  obstacles  he  obtained  the 
treaty  which  bears  his  name.  Even  before  his 
return,  and  before  the  terms  of  the  treaty  were 
known,  the  French  party  prepared  to  attack  it. 
Intense  excitement  prevailed  all  over  the  country, 
which  was  not  allayed  when  the  provisions  of  the 
treaty  were  made  public. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

1794-1798. 
DEBATES  ON  JAY'S  TREATY. 

Complaints  against  England.  —  Speech  on  Jay's  Treaty. —  Eulogy 
,  on  Thomas  Russell. 

FT  is  worth  while,  for  a  moment,  to  recur  to  a 
brief  statement  of  the  grievances  which  were 
complained  of.  Both  England  and  France  regarded 
America  as  a  congeries  of  feeble  states,  probably 
too  much  exhausted  by  the  War  of  Independence 
to  be  able  to  assert  their  rights  abroad,  if  they  had 
done  so  at  home.  The  English  claimed  a  right  to 
confiscate  vessels  and  cargoes  supposed  to  be  on 
their  way  to  hostile  ports,  not  confining  themselves 
to  those  really,  or  assumed  to  be,  in  a  state  of 
blockade,  and  they  were  captured,  carried  in,  and 
condemned  on  trifling  pretences.  What  was  a  still 
greater  wrong,  and  a  matter  of  much  more  impor- 
tance, they  claimed  the  right  to  seize  on  board  of 
our  vessels  all  real  or  supposed  British  subjects, 
including  all  who  could  not  prove  themselves 
otherwise. 

The  Americans  claimed  that  all  naturalized  citi- 
zens were  exempt  from  British  authority,  but  Brit- 
ish theory  maintained,  and  until  very  recently  has 


1796.J  JAY'S   TREATY.  365 

continued  to  maintain,  that  no  British  born  subject 
can  ever  forfeit  or  divest  himself  of  his  allegiance. 

Added  to  these,  were  other  causes  of  dispute. 
Negroes  taken  during  the  late  war  were,  by  the 
treaty  of  peace,  to  be  restored  to  their  masters. 
This  was  not  done,  or  done  very  imperfectly ;  prob- 
ably could  not  be  done  in  many  cases.  The  west- 
ern posts,  which  were  to  have  been  given  up,  were 
still  held  by  British  garrisons,  and  to  this  was 
ascribed  the  hostility  of  the  northern  Indians. 

Under  all  the  inherent  difficulties  of  the  case, 
Mr.  Jay's  treaty  obtained  all  that  could  be  reason- 
ably expected,  but,  as  I  have  said,  bitter  opposition 
was  already  prepared,  even  before  its  provisions 
were  promulgated. 

A  meeting  was  called  in  the  town  of  Boston,  at 
which  a  remonstrance  was  drawn  up,  and  sent  on 
to  government.  Washington,  calm  and  conscien- 
tious, convinced  that  the  treaty-making  power  re- 
sided in  the  government ;  while  he  answered  this 
and  other  like  remonstrances  with  moderation, 
ratified  the  treaty,  with  the  exception  of  one  arti- 
cle, which  related  to  the  trade  with  the  West  In- 
dies, and  sent  it  to  England.  On  its  return,  he 
sent  a  copy  to  the  House,  and  proclaimed  it  as  the 
law  of  the  land,  it  having  been  previously  ratified 
by  the  Senate  in  a  special  session,  June,  1795.  De- 
bates were  violent  in  the  next  session  of  Congress. 
The  whole  force  of  each  party  was  called  forth  in 
the  House  of  Representatives.  Gallatin  made  gi- 
gantic efforts  on  the  Democratic  side.  On  the 
Federal  side,  Fisher  Ames  supported  the  treaty  in 


366  LIFE   OP   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  43. 

one  of  the  ablest  and  most  effective  speeches  ever 
made  in  Congress. 

Although  it  was  sedulously  maintained  by  the 
opposition  that  there  would  be  no  danger  of  war, 
the  idea  of  which  was  ridiculed  as  pusillanimous, 
and  that  even  in  case  of  war,  America  supported 
by  France  would  suffer  no  harm,  the  minds  of  the 
people,  especially  of  the  maritime  States,  having 
cooled  down,  the  dangers  of  a  conflict  with  Great 
Britain  inspired  serious  alarm. 

Commerce  was  almost  suspended,  and  insurance 
against  capture  could  not  be  obtained.  The  ap- 
peal to  private  interests  was  thus  strongly  felt,  for 
great  profits  had  at  first  accrued  from  neutrality, 
and  commerce  had  been  rapidly  increasing.  Peti- 
tions in  favor  of  the  treaty  were  sent  in  from  the 
principal  cities. 

I  find  the  following  account  of  a  meeting,  got  up 
by  the  Democratic  leaders  in  Boston,  in  opposition 
to  the  Boston  Memorial.  The  reelection  of  their 
candidate  for  Governor,  Samuel  Adams,  and  of  two 
Senators  to  the  General  Court,  Gerry  and  Eustis, 
encouraged  them  to  this  step.  It  is  taken  from 
the  "  Oracle  of  the  Day  :  "  — 

From  the  "  Oracle  of  the  Day,  "  Boston,  April  20,  1796. 
INTERESTING  AND  ALARMING. 

"It  appears  that  on  Thursday  evening,  a  few  mer- 
chants assembled  at  Mr.  Taylor's  office,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  communication  from  Philadelphia,  and 
chose  a  committee  to  go  round  the  town  with  a 


1796.]  MEMORIAL.  367 

Memorial  to  Congress,  to  carry  the  British  Treaty 
into  effect.  Early  on  Friday  morning,  parties  of 
this  committee  were  discovered  in  different  parts 
of  the  town,  using  every  endeavor  to  procure  sub- 
scribers to  the  Memorial ;  a  copy  of  which  follows :  — 

" '  MEMORIAL. 
To  the  Hon.  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  United  States : 

'"The  Memorial  of  the  subscribers,  Merchants 
and  Tradesmen  of ,  respectfully  represents :  — 

" '  That  they  have  waited  with  anxious  expecta- 
tion to  see  the  necessary  measures  adopted  by  your 
honorable  House  for  carrying  into  operation  the 
treaty  concluded  between  the  United  States  and 
Great  Britain  ;  and  are  now  seriously  alarmed,  lest 
these  measures  should  be  further  delayed  or  en- 
tirely omitted. 

" '  Under  that  impression,  they  deem  it  incumb- 
ent upon  them  to  represent,  that  .property  of  the 
merchants  of  the  United  States,  amounting  upon  a 
moderate  computation,  to  more  than  five  millions 
of  dollars,  have  been  taken  from  them  by  the  sub- 
jects of  Great  Britain,  the  restoration  of  which 
they  verily  believe  depends,  in  a  great  measure, 
upon  the  completion  of  the  treaty  on  our  part. 

" '  Independent  of  this  immense  sum,  they  have 
embarked  the  principal  part  of  their  remaining  for- 
tunes in  vessels  and  adventures,  the  safety  of 
which  will,  as  they  apprehend,  be  materially  af- 
fected by  a  refusal  or  neglect  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States  to  comply  with  the  stipulations  so 
solemnly  entered  into.  Besides  their  particular 


368  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [Aos  43. 

interests  as  merchants  and  traders,  they  feel  an 
interest  in  common  with  their  fellow-citizens  of 
other  descriptions,  in  the  preservation  of  peace,  on 
which  the  property 'of  this  country  depends  ;  and 
they  should  deem  themselves  wanting  in  that  spirit 
and  independence  which  ought  ever  to  character- 
ize free  men,  if  they  forbear,  on  so  interesting  an 
occasion  as  the  present*,  to  express  their  wishes 
and  expectations.  They,  therefore,  with  all  due 
respect  for  the  representatives  of  the  people  of  the 
United  States,  beg  leave  to  recommend  that  no 
partial  considerations  of  policy  may  influence  their 
decision  on  this  important  question  ;  but  that  the 
faith,  the  honor,  and  the  interest  of  the  nation, 
may  be  preserved,  by  making  the  necessary  pro- 
visions for  carrying  the  treaty  into  fair  and  hon- 
orable effect.' 

"  The  independent  citizens  soon  took  the  alarm, 
and  a  petition  to  the  Selectmen  was  soon  filled  up 
with  the  names  of  a  number  of  Freeholders,  praying 
them  to  call  the  town  together  immediately,  to 
take  the  sense  of  the  inhabitants  upon  so  import- 
ant an  occasion.  Saturday  afternoon  the  Select- 
men issued  a  notification  for  town  meeting  on 
Monday."1 

The  "  Sentinel "  says  that  on  the  day  the  Memo- 
rial was  set  on  foot,  the  subscribers  amounted  to 
near  one  thousand. 

"  Vox  Populi  —  Vox  Dei !  " 

"  In  our  last  we  mentioned  that  a  number  of  our 

1 1  need  not  say  that  this  account  is  slighty  satirical. 


1796.]  BOSTON   MEMORIAL.  369 

fellow-townsmen  had  exercised  the  Rights  of  the 
Citizen,  in  signing  the  Memorial  to  Congress,  which 
appears  in  the  day's  paper.  It  now  remains  for 
us  to  give  the  consequent  proceedings  on  that 
measure. 

"  On  Saturday,  about  twenty  persons  presented  a 
petition  to  the  Selectmen,  praying  '  that  as  certain 
persons  are  carrying  about  a  paper  for  signing, 
upon  the  subject  of  the  British  Treaty,  a  town  meet- 
ing may  be  called,  that  the  sense  of  the  inhabit- 
ants at  large  may  be  taken  thereon,  lest  the  sen- 
timents of  the  persons  subscribing  said  paper  should 
be  considered  as  the  act  of  the  whole  town.' 

"A  meeting  was  accordingly  called  to  assemble 
at  ten  o'clock  on  Monday.  Although  the  signers  of 
the  Memorial  had  no  voice  in  calling  the  meeting, 
yet  considering  themselves  arraigned  for  exercis- 
ing an  inherent  privilege,  and  their  rights  as  citi- 
zens invaded,  they  considered  it  their  duty  to  at- 
tend, and  to  vindicate  those  rights.  Accordingly, 
before  ten  o'clock,  Fanueil  Hall  was  nearly  full ; 
and  the  meeting  being  opened,  the  town  chose  the 
Hon.  Thomas  Dawes,  Moderator.  From  the  con- 
tinued increase  of  numbers,  an  adjournment  to  the 
Old  South  Meeting-house  became  necessary.  Re- 
assembled here,  Dr.  Jarvis  opened  the  debate  in  a 
very  eloquent  address  to  the  feelings  of  the  vast 
assemblage  then  before  him.  He  was  followed  on 
the  same  side  by  Mr.  Austin,  Mr.  Cooper,  and  Mr. 
Morton.  They  were  replied  to  by  Mr.  Otis,  Dr. 
Warren,  Colonel  Dawes,  and  Mr.  Jones,  with  great 
eloquence,  investigation,  effect,  and  we  think  con- 

24 


370  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  43. 

viction.  If  it  were  not  invidious  to  distinguish 
where  all  were  eminent,  we  should  pay  that  hom- 
age of  respect  to  the  eloquence,  independence, 
and  general  knowledge  of  Mr.  Otis,  which  was 
rendered  by  every  one  who  heard  him.  But  we 
forbear.  It  were  impossible  to  do  justice  to  the 
research,  animation,  and  independence  which  char- 
acterized all  the  speeches,  and  which,  notwith- 
standing the  sanctity  of  a  place  of  worship,  drew 
forth  involuntary  bursts  of  applause.  A  number  of 
extraneous  motions  were  made.  One  by  Dr.  Jar- . 
vis,  that  Mr.  Maclay's  late  motion  in  Congress 
should  be  read ;  which  Mr.  Otis  moved  should  be 
amended,  so  that  the  President's  Message  to  the 
House  should  also  be  read.  These  were  both  with- 
drawn. Dr.  Jarvis  also  moved  that  a  time  be  as- 
signed in  the  afternoon,  when  the  question  should 
be  determined  by  written  yeas  and  nays.  This 
was  negatived.  Dr.  Warren  then  moved,  '  That 
the  town  do  approve  of  the  object  and  senti- 
ments contained  in  the  Memorial  that  has  been 
read,  and  referred  to  in  the  petition,  and  is  now 
before  them ; "  which  was  determined  in  the  affirm- 
ative by  the  largest  show  of  hands,  we  ever  recol- 
lect to  have  seen.  The  number  of  citizens  present 
could  not  be  less  than  twenty-three  or  twenty- 
four  hundred ;  and  those  opposed  to  the  motion, 
did  not  appear  to  be  an  hundred.  The  record 
of  the  town,  as  certified  to  by  the  town  clerk, 
declares  it  a  very  great  majority ;  and  some  of 
the  fathers  of  the  town,  the  most  experienced  in 
the  calculation  of  numbers,  estimate  the  hands 


1796.]  DR.  WARREN'S  SPEECH.  371 

held  tip  by  the  minority  at  less  than  an  hundred. 
Good  sense,  decorum,  and  fraternity  presided  at  the 
meeting,  and  the  friends  of  our  valued  Constitu- 
tion, the  peace,  prosperity,  and  welfare  of  our 
country,  will  join  in  animated  congratulations  to 
the  mechanics  and  other  citizens  for  the  firmness 
and  independence  exhibited  on  this  occasion." 

At  this  meeting  Dr.  Warren  spoke  as  follows :  — 

"  I  am,  sir,  in  favor  of  the  Memorial  to  Congress, 
for  the  purposes  pointed  out  in  it ;  because  I  believe 
war  to  be  the  greatest  calamity  that  can  befall  this 
people ;  and  because  I  believe  that  there  is  the 
utmost  hazard  that  war  will  be  the  consequence  of 
withholding  the  provisions  for  carrying  the  treaty 
with  Great  Britain  into  effect. 

"  My  reasons  for  deprecating  a  war  at  the  pres- 
ent period  are,  that  we  are  now,  under  the  ad- 
vantages of  our  neutrality,  carrying  on  a  com- 
merce highly  beneficial  to  the  country ;  and  that 
the  mechanical  and  agricultural  interest,  as  well  as 
that  of  every  other  description  that  can  be  named, 
are  at  this  moment  in  a  state  of  unexampled  pros- 
perity. That  the  moment  a  war  shall  take  place, 
the  sources  of  this  prosperity  will  cease,  and  the 
expense  of  carrying  it  on  amount  in  a  few  months 
to  more  than  we  can  lose  by  the  treaty,  bad  as  it 
may  be,  within  the  period  to  which  its  operation  is 
limited ;  and  that  compared  with  the  immense 
prosperity  which  is,  at  this  moment,  in  the  most 
exposed  situation  conceivable,  the  evils  of  that 
instrument,  for  the  term  of  two  years  only,  after 


372  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AoE  43. 

the  European  war  shall  be  closed,  —  when  we  may 
perhaps  alter  it  as  we  please,  —  cannot  be  of  such 
magnitude  as  to  justify  the  hazard  we  shall  run 
by  the  experiment  contended  for. 

"  I  conceive  that  on  the  important  points  of  peace 
and  war,  there  are  usually  two  different  motives 
operating  upon  nations  in  their  decision  on  these 
subjects, — justice  and  expediency.  We  have  good 
authority  for  declaring  that  many  things  may  be 
lawful,  that  are  not  expedient ;  and  states,  as  well 
as  individuals,  have  in  all  ages  adopted  the  maxirn. 

"  It  is,  therefore,  wisdom  and  not  pusillanimity, 
for  us  to  take  into  consideration,  as  well  the  policy 
of  a  war,  as  the  right  we  should  have  upon  our 
side,  in  entering  into  it. 

"  We  are  daily  increasing  in  our  resources.  Our 
wealth  and  population  for  the  time  are  unparalleled 
in  the  history  of  the  world.  In  a  few  years,  we 
the  nations  of  the  world  into  justice.  Why  then 
shall  be  able  to  speak  a  language  which  will  awe 
should  we  lavishly  expend  the  force  and  vigor  of 
our  youth  in  a  doubtful  contest,  when  the  strength 
of  manhood  will  soon  render  us  equal  to  the  most 
hardy  enterprise  ? 

"As  to  the  justice  of  the  war  on  our  side,  it  is  true 
we  have  been  most  grossly  insulted  by  the  nation 
in  question.  I  am  no  advocate  for  those  spoilers 
and  ravagers  of  the  ocean.  God  forbid  I  ever 
should  be.  I  am  not  under  under  British  influence, 
sir.  I  am  no  old  Tory  or  Aristocrat.  But  I  am 
a  friend  to  the  Government  of  this  commonwealth, 
and  of  the  United  States.  I  wish  to  preserve  those 


1796.]  DR.  WARREN'S  SPEECH.  373 

resources,  upon  which  their  strength  and  opulence 
depend  ;  and  I  believe,  sir,  that  nation  has  a  heavy 
account  of  unatoned  offences  to  settle  in  the  Tri- 
bunal of  States  and  that  vengeance  will  overtake 
them,  in  due  time,  for  the  enormities  they  have 
been  guilty  of.  But  let  that  be  left  to  Heaven  to 
inflict. 

"  These,  sir,  are  some  of  my  reasons  for  depreca- 
ting a  war  at  this  period  ;  and  I  have  only  to  sub- 
join those  which  have  induced  me  to  believe  that 
should  our  Government  neglect  to  make  provision 
for  the  treaty,  there  is  the  utmost  degree  of  prob- 
ability of  that  event. 

"  As  to  the  disposition  of  Great  Britain  towards 
these  States,  it  has  ever  been  unfriendly ;  and  I 
cannot  but  believe  that  they  have  been  ripe  for 
hostilities  with  us,  ever  since  the  commencement 
of  the  European  war.  Their  inclination,  then,  can- 
not be  doubted. 

"  As  to  the  policy  of  it  on  their  side,  I  acknowl- 
edge myself  no  politician ;  but  I  would  suggest 
whether  at  a  time  when  their  navy  is  riding  tri- 
umphant on  the  sea,  and  spread  over  the  whole 
face  of  the  ocean,  the  American  property  which 
might  be  immediately  captured  by  them,  together 
with  that  which  is  already  in  their  hands  and  is 
now  awaiting  a  judicial  decision,  would  not  go  far 
towards  indemnifying  them  for  the  expenses  of  the 
war  ?  And  what  is  perhaps  a  circumstance  of  still 
greater  consequence  to  the  cause  of  liberty  in 
Arilerica,  whether  it  would  not  be  the  means  of 
cutting  off  those  supplies  of  provisions  which  our 


374  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  48. 

neutrality  enables  us  to  furnish  to  the  French, 
and  thereby  endanger  the  final  success  of  that 
cause  in  which  they  are  engaged  ? 

"  However  our  sentiments  may  be  divided  on  the 
question  of  the  agency  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives, in  giving  efficiency  to  the  treaty,  it  is  ob- 
vious that  other  nations  have  hitherto  had  but  one 
opinion  on  the  subject;  and  I  think  it  cannot  be 
doubted  that  this  opinion  is,  that  when  a  treaty 
has  gone  through  the  forms  to  which  this  has  been 
submitted,  it  has  received  the  last  stamp  of  valid- 
ity, and  the  nation  becomes  obligated  to  carry  it 
into  execution. 

"  If  this  is  the  case,  has  not  the  British  nation  a 
pretext  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  at  least  as  justi- 
fiable as  those  upon  which  two  thirds  of  the  wars 
that  have  taken  place  for  the  last  century  have 
been  founded  ? 

.  "  It  becomes  in  my  opinion,  sir,  a  question  of  the 
most  serious  consideration  with  those  who  contend 
that  our  national  honor  requires  the  adoption  of 
the  measures  that  have  been  advocated,  whether 
our  own  honor  will  not  suffer  more  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world,  by  the  imputation  of  violating  our  na- 
tional faith,  than  by  a  punctual  compliance  with 
our  public  obligations,  even  should  it  be  the  means 
of  sacrificing  a  part  of  our  interests. 

"  These,  sir,  are  my  sentiments  upon  this  impor- 
tant subject,  and  I  cannot  but  believe  that  if  we 
do  not  unite  this  day  in  testifying  our  assent  to 
the  solemn  compact  which  our  government  has  en- 
tered into,  it  will  be  one  of  the  most  serious  mis- 
fortunes that  has  happened  since  the  Revolution." 


1796.]  PARTY    LINES.  375 

This  speech,  prepared  amid  the  pressure  of  va- 
rious professional  occupations,  exhibits  the  deep 
earnestness  of  the  speaker,  and  gives  in  clear  and 
forcible  light,  with  the  fewest  words  possible,  and 
therefore  most  likely  to  be  effective,  the  reasons 
for  accepting  the  treaty  already  ratified  by  Wash- 
ington and  the  Senate.  The  meeting  voted  de- 
cidedly in  favor  of  ratifying.  The  whole  weight 
of  wealth  and  intelligence,  we  are  told,  was  in 
favor  of  the  treaty. 

Here  we  find  the  former  friends,  Dr.  Eustis  and 
Dr.  Warren,  ranged  in  opposite  ranks.  Austin  and 
Eustis  had  been  elected  by  the  Democrats  to  the 
Massachusetts  Senate.  Dr.  Eustis  and  my  father 
had  acted  together  in  the  little  volunteer  band 
which  went  out  for  the  capture  of  the  rebels,  in 
Shays'  insurrection.  In  1788,  Dr.  Eustis  had  be- 
come a  member  of  the  General  Court,  still  continu- 
ing the  practice  of  his  profession.  He  served  for 
two  years  as  one  of  Governor  Sullivan's  Council, 
and  became  a  zealous  advocate  for  the  measures  of 
the  Democratic  party. 

It  may  be  a  little  striking,  should  we  pause  now, 
and  look  back  upon  the  group  of  1775.  Sam- 
uel Adams,  Elbridge  Gerry,  Benedict  Arnold,  etc., 
represented  by  others,  and  declared  by  themselves, 
to  be  the  bosom  friends  of  General  Warren. 
Would  this  friendship  have  continued  ?  Would 
Joseph  Warren,  who  had  wished  "  to  die  knee-deep 
in  the  blood  of  Englishmen,"  would  he  have  over- 
come this  intense  hostility,  and  been  guided  only 
by  what  he  conceived  best  for  the  nation,  to  form 


376  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  43. 

an  unbiased  judgment  ?  Would  my  father  and 
he  have  been  found  on  opposite  sides  in  politics  ? 
It  is  a  curious  thing,  that  every  biographer  of  men 
of  that  time,  agrees  in  wishing  to  rescue  the  subject 
of  his  memoir  from  the  appearance,  even,  of  any 
hostility  or  disrespect  to  Washington.  The  most 
that  the  Democratic  writers  do,  is  gently  to  hint 
that  Washington  was  a  man  ;  all  men  are  liable  to 
error,  no  man  can  excel  in  everything ;  therefore 
Washington,  if  a  good  general,  was  not  an  able 
statesman  ;  or,  if  he  was  a  good  statesman,  he  was 
not  an  able  general. 

It  would  be  very  difficult  to  decide  at  what  par- 
ticular time  party  lines  became  impassable  barriers 
to  friendship.  Doubtless  for  some  years  the  es- 
trangement among  friends  of  the  Ee volution,  went 
on  very  gradually ;  private  friendships  might  be 
preserved  amidst  political  differences.  For  a  time 
they  were  looked  upon  as  honest  differences  of 
opinion,  until  the  progress  of  the  French  Bevolu- 
tion,  and  the  tendency  to  adopt  French  principles, 
led  one  party  to  believe  that  the  very  existence  of 
the  nation  was  imperilled,  and  to  fear  that  the 
scenes  of  violence  and  anarchy  enacted  in  France, 
would  be  imitated  here  ;  to  believe  that  their  ad- 
versaries were  guided  by  the  worst  of  motives, 
which  could  end  only  in  universal  anarchy  and 
ruin ;  the  destruction  of  all  principles  of  order  and 
right.  The  other  party,  perhaps,  led  by  men  hav- 
ing some  feelings  of  personal  neglect,  could  see 
only  in  the  others  a  determination  to  establish 
monarchical  government. 


1796.]  KATIFICATION    OF    JAl's    TREATY.  377 

It  can  hardly  be  a  question  that  party  feeling 
at  home,  and  the  irritation  of  political  strife,  hur- 
ries a  nation  into  war,  oftener  than  a  sense  of  for- 
eign injustice  alone  ;  which  becomes  magnified  and 
viewed  through  a  distorted  medium.  Injuries  that 
might  be  submitted  to  for  a  time,  under  the  cool 
consideration  of  the  greater  loss  and  evil  to  be 
incurred  by  war,  appear  unbearable  when  seen 
through  the  medium  of  party  strife. 

A  nation  that  is  rapidly  increasing  in  wealth 
and  power,  developing  its  resources  of  agriculture 
and  manufactures,  extending  its  commerce  and  in- 
creasing its  population,  will,  in  course  of  time,  if 
left  to  develop  its  energies  in  peace,  overawe  its 
enemies,  and  compel  them,  without  bloodshed,  to 
do  it  justice.  '  But  by  plunging  into  hostilities 
without  adequate  motive,  its  progress  is  checked, 
it  becomes  exhausted  and  impoverished,  and  final- 
ly, after  having  vindicated  its  honor,  and  inflicted 
severe  injury  upon  the  enemy,  it  concludes  a  peace, 
leaving  it  weakened  in  power,  while  the  most  im- 
portant questions  in  dispute  are  left  for  future  de- 
termination. Such  has  often  been  the  case  with 
France ;  such  has  been  the  case  with  other  Euro- 
pean nations. 

In  the  present  case,  the  wiser  and  cooler  counsels 
prevailed,  and  the  opposition  in  Congress  to  Jay's 
treaty  was  overcome. 

On  the  4th  of  May,  1796,  Dr.  Warren  delivered 
a  eulogy  on  the  Hon.  Thomas  Russell,  a  distin- 
guished merchant  of  Boston,  who  died  on  the 
eighth  of  April  previous,  before  various  societies 


378  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.      .  [AoB  43. 

of  which  he  was  president,  —  as  the  Society  for 
propagating  the  Gospel  among  the  Indians,  and 
others ;  the  Humane  Society  ;  the  Agricultural  So- 
ciety ;  the  Society  for  the  Advice  of  Immigrants ; 
the  Boston  Chamber  of  Commerce,  and  the  Na- 
tional Bank  of  Boston. 

Mr.  Russell  was  the  first  person  who  ever  em- 
ployed a  ship  in  the  Russian  trade.  He  was  a 
very  active  member  of  the  Humane  Society ;  a 
delegate  to  the  Convention  on  adopting  the  Fed- 
eral Constitution,  which  he  earnestly  supported, 
aiding  their  deliberations  by  a  valuable  stock  of 
facts,  which  his  intelligence  and  means  of  informa- 
tion supplied ;  a  man  of  great  liberality  and  be- 
nevolence. 

Mr.  Russell  embarked  in  1762,  with  a  cargo  for 
the  West  Indies.  War  existing  at  that  time  with 
France,  his  vessel  was  captured,  his  cargo  seized,  and 
himself  carried  a  prisoner  into  Martinico.  It  was  his 
good  fortune  to  have  with  him  a  letter  of  intro- 
duction to  a  gentleman  of  that  place,  which  he  had 
not  expected  to  use.  Upon  being  allowed  to  pre- 
sent it,  this  gentleman  obtained  his  release  from 
captivity,  and  befriended  him  to  the  utmost  of  his 
power. 

In  other  circumstances,  he  was  equally  fortu- 
nate. "  Never,"  says  Dr.  Warren,  "  was  a  man  more 
apparently  the  object  of  providential  regards,  than 
he  whom  we  commemorate." 

"  Does  he  fall  into  the  hands  of  an  enemy  dis- 
posed to  treat  him  with  severity,  a  friend  presents 
himself  in  the  most  critical  juncture,  and  procures 


1796.]  EULOGY    ON   RUSSEL.  379 

his  release.  Is  he  stripped  of  his  property  in  a 
foreign  land,  the  resources  of  the  wealthy  are 
opened  to  his  necessities.  Is  he  threatened  with 
losses  in  business,  those  very  dangers  become  the 
means  of  promoting  his  interest.  Do  we  see  him 
laboring  under  a  sense  of  obligation  for  unrequited 
favors,  an  opportunity  presents  of  repaying  the 
debt  by  similar  offices  in  situations  of  distress. 

"In  all  circumstances,  he  preserved  a  consist- 
ency of  behavior.  In  prosperity  he  was  not  elated, 
nor  dejected  in  adversity." 

"  The  pompous  parade  of  a  funeral  ceremony 
has  often  attracted  the  staring  crowd  of  uncon- 
cerned spectators,  but  the  solemn  silence  in  which 
a  long  procession  of  undissembling  mourners  at- 
tended his  obsequies,  is  a  proof  of  the  most  incon- 
testible,  of  unfeigned  attachment. 

"  To  the  bosom  of  the  tomb  we  have  committed 
the  sacred  relics,  and  bid  them  a  long  adieu.  But 
be  consoled,  ye  weeping  relatives,  you  shall  meet 
him  again.  A  soul  endowed  with  so  many  godlike 
qualities  can  never  perish.  It  shall  yet  reanimate 
the  precious  dust,  shall  burst  the  walls  of  the  dark 
prison  that  confines  it,  and  arrayed  in  robes  of  ce- 
lestial glory,  be  ushered  into  everlasting  day." 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

1798-1799. 
AFFAIRS    WITH   FRANCE. 

Reception  of  the  Treaty.  —  Exorbitant  Demands.  —  Resistance.  — 
Address  to  the  President.  —  Communication  to  the  Press.  —  Wash- 
ington called  to  the  Command.  —  Naval  Victory.  —  Interest  in 
Public  Affairs.  —  Death  of  Washington.  —  Universal  Regret.  — 
Lull  of  Party  Feeling. 


ratification   of  the   treaty  with   England, 
was  received  in  France  with  great  disappoint- 
ment and  irritation. 

The  views  of  the  existing  government,  that 
America  was  bound  to  them  by  ties  of  gratitude, 
that  she  owed  them  her  very  existence  as  a  nation, 
that  she  ought  to  make  common  cause  with  them, 
and  supply  them  with  money  for  carrying  on  the 
war  with  England,  —  together  with  their  belief  that 
she  was  a  feeble  and  contemptible  power,  that 
could  be  crushed  as  easily  as  an  Italian  State,  — 
led  to  acts  of  insupportable  hostility.  Among  other 
measures,  it  was  decided  to  treat  American  seamen, 
impressed  into  English  men  of  war,  as  pirates. 
American  seamen  were  not  only  liable  to  be  im- 
pressed from  merchant  ships  by  English  men  of 
war,  but  also  when  these  men  of  war  were  cap- 
tured by  the  French,  to  be  executed  as  pirates. 


1798.]  FRENCH   DEMANDS.  381 

Thus  the  profits  of  American  merchants,  who, 
as  neutrals,  did  a  greater  portion  of  the.  carrying 
trade,  which  was  very  profitable,  were  entirely 
cut  off,  and  our  merchant  ships  driven  from  the 
ocean.  But  in  consequence ''of  Jay's  treaty,  the 
conduct  of  the  English  government  was  becoming 
more  favorable,  and  they  began  to  give  indemnity 
for  wrongs  to  our  vessels;  while  affairs  with  France 
were  becoming  worse. 

The  French  Directory  had  refused  to  receive 
or  retain  a  standing  embassy.  Our  ambassadors 
had  been  obliged  to  leave  France.  It  was  deter- 
mined, after  much  debate,  to  send  an  extraordinary 
mission  to  France,  composed  in  part  of  Federalists, 
the  supposed  friends  of  England,  and  partly  of 
Democrats,  the  avowed  friends  of  France.  The 
French  Government  refused  to  treat  with  the  for- 
mer. The  latter  obtained  private  interviews.  Lit- 
tle benefit  was  obtained.  The  Directory  demand- 
ed a  douceur  for  themselves,  and  a  sum  of  money 
for  the  republic,  as  the  only  conditions  on  which 
they  would  treat.  When  these  conditions  were 
made  public,  the  universal  cry  was,  "Millions  for 
defence,  not  a  cent  for  tribute." 

After  the  failure  of  the  embassy,  composed  of 
Gerry,  Pinckney,  and  Marshall,  a  meeting  was 
called  in  the  town  of  Boston,  and  an  address  to 
the  President  prepared,  expressing  approbation  of 
the  measures  recommended  by  him  to  conciliate 
the  French  Republic ;  a  high  opinion  of  the  virtue, 
patriotism,  and  wisdom  of  the  National  Govern- 
ment, and  a  fixed  resolution  to  support  at  the  risk 


382  LIFE    OF  DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  45. 

of  their  lives  and  fortunes,  such  measures  as  might 
be  necessary  to  promote  and  secure  the  honor  and 
happiness  of  the  United  States.  They  affirmed 
that  they  were  not  divided  in  any  point  that  in- 
volved their  honor,  safety,  and  essential  rights. 
They  knew  their  rights,  and  were  determined  to 
support  them. 

In  support  of  this  address  to  the  President, 
my  father  prepared  the  following  communication, 
which  was  published  in  the  "Mercury."  It  shows 
that  at  this  time,  at  least,  he  did  not  share  the  ex- 
treme views  of  some  of  his  party :  — 

"  GENTLEMEN,  —  We  are  now  arrived  at  that  sol- 
emn period  of  our  national  concerns,  when  the 
efficacy  of  our  republican  constitution  of  govern- 
ment for  the  union  and  protection  of  the  citizens 
who  enjoy  it,  is  to  be  put  to  the  test. 

"  A  foreign  nation,  presuming  on  our  internal 
dissensions,  contemplates  the  ravage  and  plunder 
of  our  coasts,  and  threatens  the  annihilation  of  the 
only  true  republic  upon  earth.  You  have  pa- 
tiently submitted  to  innumerable  depredations  on 
your  valuable  commerce.  Your  exports  have  been 
arrested  on  their  lawful  destination  to  foreign  coun- 
tries, and  unjustly  confiscated  on  the  most  frivolous 
pretences.  The  millions  which  you  have  lost  by 
this  hostile  system,  did  not  eradicate  from  your 
bosoms  those  sentiments  of  friendship  by  which 
you  have  been  connected  with  a  nation  that  you 
had  fondly  denominated  a  sister  republic,  and  an 
attempt  at  conciliation  was  most  cordially  under- 
taken. 


1798.J  RESISTANCE   TO    FRENCH   DEMANDS.  383 

"An  embassy,  consisting  of  three  of  the  most  re- 
spectable citizens  of  the  United  States,  was  institu- 
ted by  our  president,  with  the  important  design 
of  removing  those  misunderstandings,  and  their 
powers  were  amply  sufficient  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  it. 

"  They  were  instructed  to  place  France  in  the 
same  situation  with  respect  to  advantages  in  our 
intercourse  with  them,  as  was  enjoyed  by  Great 
Britain,  and  that  any  favorable  articles  in  the 
treaty  with  the  Eepublic  should  be  relinquished, 
if  required,  as  a  sacrifice  to  peace. 

"  From  the  same  motives,  they  were  authorized 
to  recede,  if  judged  expedient,  from  our  just  de- 
mands for  compensation  for  injuries,  from  the  im- 
mense spoliations  which  our  commerce  had  suf- 
fered. With  a  scrupulous  regard  to  the  sensibili- 
ties of  the  government,  they  were  ordered  to  make 
their  statements,  though  in  the  language  of  firm- 
ness, yet  with  moderation  and  delicacy. 

"  Your  envoys  extraordinary  to  the  Republic 
of  France,  furnished  with  these  extensive  powers 
for  promoting  conciliation  and  friendship,  were  not 
permitted  to  utter  the  amicable  wishes  of  their 
country  to  the  Directory,  but  were  treated  with 
studied  and  unprecedented  neglect.  Their  appli- 
cations for  a  hearing  have  been  answered  only  by 
propositions  the  most  offensive  to  the  feelings  of 
an  independent  nation,  adapted  only  to  the  habits 
of  a  corrupt  and  degenerate  people,  and  proceed- 
ing only  upon  a  calculation  of  the  utmost  debase- 
ment of  principle  and  character. 


384  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  45. 

"  They  have  been  told  by  authority,  which  can- 
not be  disavowed,  that  the  men  they  had  to  treat 
with  disregarded  the  justice  of  our  claims,  and  the 
reasoning  with  which  we  might  support  them, 
and  that  the  diplomatic  skill  of  France,  and  the 
means  she  possesses  in  our  country,  are  the  instru- 
ments by  which  she  expects  to  destroy  our  union, 
and  reduce  us  to  submission.  The  example  of 
Venice  has  been  pointed  out  to  your  view,  and 
you  are  threatened  with  her  fate.  A  determina- 
tion has  been  avowed  to  make  all  nations  either 
aid  the  French,  or  submit  to  them.  Ravage  and 
plunder,  and  the  whole  system  of  hostility,  is  pro- 
jected upon  the  presumption  that  we  are  a  divided 
people. 

"  Spurning  a  sentiment  so  degrading  to  the 
honor  of  our  country,  apprehensive  that  our  si- 
lence might  be  construed  into  an  acquiescence  in 
the  truth  of  the  declaration,  the  inhabitants  of 
Boston  have  almost  unanimously  determined  by  a 
public  testimony  of  their  confidence  in  the  admin- 
istration, indignantly  to  wipe  off  the  invidious  as- 
persion. For  this  purpose  they  have  subscribed 
an  address  to  the  executive  and  legislative  branches 
of  our  Government,  expressive  of  our  reliance  on 
the  wisdom  and  patriotism  of  the  men  who  com- 
pose them,  and  who  were  chosen  by  our  suffrages 
to  the  place  which  they  occupy.  Convinced  of  the 
impartiality  of  their  proceedings,  and  that  the 
means  they  have  taken  for  securing  our  neutrality 
are  judicious,  we  have  pledged  ourselves  at  all 
hazards  to  support  the  measures  which  they  may 


1798.]          WASHINGTON    CALLED    TO    THE    COMMAND.  385 

adopt,  and  the  concurrence  of  our  brethren  through- 
out the  Commonwealth  is  most  earnestly  request- 
ed, immediately  on  the  perusal  of  this  communi- 
cation in  the  newspapers. 

u  Forgetting  then,  the  odious  distinctions  o.f 
party,  let  us  unite  in  one  common  cause  at  this 
alarming  crisis,  that  there  may  henceforth  be  no 
other  contention  among  Americans,  but  who  shall 
best  promote  the  interest  of  our  country,  vindicate 
the  honor  of  the  national  character,  and  redeem 
her  sullied  reputation. 

"  Voted,  That  an  address  to  the  citizens  of  this 
State,  requesting  their  concurrence  in  a  memorial 
to  our  Government,  expressive  of  their  readiness 
to  support  their  measures,  be  published  in  the  pa- 
pers of  all  the  printers." 

Preparations  were  made  for  defence.  Washing- 
ton, who  had  retired  from  the  Presidency  in  1796, 
was  summoned  from  retirement  to  take  command 
of  the  army.  Reluctant  as  he  was,  he  felt  that 
duty  called  him,  and  he  expressed  his  obedience  to 
the  will  of  the  nation.  He  set  actively  about  the 
formation  and  regulation  of  the  army. 

Many  young  men  adopted  the  black  cockade 
which  had  been  worn  during  the  Revolutionary 
War,  by  way  of  defiance  and  response  to  the  tri- 
color, which  was  worn  by  many  American  citizens 
in  token  of  their  favor  to  the  French  Revolution. 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1799,  an  action  took 
place  between  the  French  Frigate  L'lnsurgente 
and  the  American  Constellation.  The  number  of 

25 


386  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  45. 

their  guns  were  about  equal ;  but  the  Constella- 
tion carried  heavier  metal.  After  an  action  of  an 
hour  and  a  quarter,  I! Inmrgente  struck  her  colors? 
and  she  was  sent  in  as  prize  to  the  United  States. 
She  had  twenty  men  killed  and  forty-six  wounded, 
while  the  American  lost  only  one  man  killed  and 
three  wounded.  The  news  of  this  victory  was  re- 
ceived with  great  joy  by  the  Federalists,  but  cor- 
responding depression  to  the  other  party.  Other 
naval  'victories  followed. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  French  arms  had  met 
with  reverses  in  Europe,  and  the  French  party 
thought  it  a  favorable  time  to  attempt  new  nego- 
tiations. A  new  mission  was  decided  upon,  com- 
posed of  Ellswqrth,  Davie,  and  Murray.  They 
were  well  received.  The  Revolution  of  November 
8th,  1799,  had  taken  place,  and  Bonaparte  was  now 
at  the  head  of  affairs. 

A  convention  was  concluded  on  the  first  of  Oc- 
tober, 1800,  and  thus  a  quasi  war  with  France  was 
terminated,  leaving  scarcely  a  record  in  French  or 
American  history,  swallowed  up  as  it  was  in  affairs 
of  so  much  greater  and  more  universal  importance 
upon  the  field  of  Europe.  The  subsequent  aggres- 
sions of  the  English,  and  the  fall  of  the  Federal 
party,  effaced  the  memory  of  French  insults ;  and 
they  were  remembered  only  as  our  allies  in  the 
French  Revolution. 

Yet,  by  all  true  American  patriots,  these  matters 
were  watched  and  debated  with  the  most  intense 
interest  and  anxiety.  It  is  certainly  a  subject 
worthy  of  great  admiration  and  even  wonder  at 


1799.]  INTEREST    IN   PUBLIC    AFFAIRS.  387 

Dr.  Warren's  character  and  conduct,  that  in  the 
midst  of  the  anxiety  and  excitement  with  which 
he  watched  public  men  and  measures,  exerting  his 
utmost  energies  —  in  public  meetings,  in  private 
consultations,  in  every  other  practicable  way,  and 
above  all,  in  conversation  with  the  many  intelli- 
gent and  influential  people  with  whom  he  was  con- 
stantly thrown  in  contact  —  to  give  success  to  Fed- 
eral measures,  he  never  neglected  his  profession, 
but  continued  to  labor  earnestly  for  the  advance  of 
medical  skill  and  science,  and  at  the  same  time  to 
lend  his  aid  in  the  earnest  support  of  every  benev- 
olent and  charitable  purpose. 

Whilst  earnestly  and  fully  believing  that  the 
leaders  of  the  Democratic  party,  then  called 
"  Jacobins,"  were  guided  by  selfish  and  evil  mo- 
tives, and  were  pursuing  measures  which  must 
end  in  anarchy  and  destruction,  and  that  their  fol- 
lowers were  becoming  little  better  than  the  Sans- 
culottes of  Paris,  he  was  ever  ready  to  afford  his 
aid  to  individuals  in  illness  or  misfortune,  without 
regard  to  their  political  sentiments. 

The  remarkable  rapidity  with  which  he  made 
his  visits,  the  rapidity  of  his  ideas,  by  which  he  took 
in  at  a  glance  the  whole  situation  of  his  patient, 
enabled  him  to  obtain  time  for  other  objects, — 
charitable,  scientific,  and  political.  To  a  different 
order  of  minds,  it  may  appear  that  opinions  thus 
formed,  which  cannot  be  traced  step  by  step,  and 
supported  by  argument,  cannot  be  considered  safe. 

It  is  remarkable  that  Dr.  James  Jackson,  whose 
mind  and  method  were  of  an  opposite  cast,  gave 


388  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  44. 

full  justice  to  the  different  powers  of  Dr.  Warren, 
and  he  refers  to  Dugald  Stewart  for  an  account  and 
exemplification  of  this  mental  character,  this  power 
of  rapid  perception. 

Mr.  Stewart  quotes  the  advice  of  a  distinguished 
personage  to  a  judge  who  questioned  his  own  fit- 
ness and  ability  for  the  office  to  which  he  was  ap- 
pointed. "  Do  not  hesitate, "  he  said,  "  to  give  your 
decisions  boldly,  according  to  your  best  judgment; 
but  never  support  them  by  argument ;  your  de- 
cisions will  be  correct ;  your  reasonings  will  inev- 
itably be  wrong." 

Mr.  Stewart  explains  that  in  these  intuitive,  or 
what  are  called  intuitive,  perceptions,  the  mind 
goes  through  a  process  of  reasoning  so  rapid  that 
only  the  first  and  last  step  is  perceptible,  yet  the 
result  arrived  at  is  equally  correct  with  that  which 
is  laboriously  traced  out  step  by  step. 

If  a  man  thus  gifted  has  sufficient  confidence  in 
himself,  and  can  inspire  it  in  others,  no  gift  can  be 
more  valuable ;  but  if  on  the  other  hand,  he  dis- 
trusts his  own  convictions  and  labors  to  trace  them 
out  logically  step  by  step,  he  inevitably  becomes 
confused  and  bewildered.  He  loses  the  talent  that 
nature  has  given  him,  and  cannot  acquire  the  log- 
ical accuracy  which  me'n  of  far  inferior  powers 
may  attain.  He  becomes  neutralized. 

At  this  period,  my  father  made  most  of  his  visits 
on  horseback ;  but  when  he  drove  in  a  sulky  or 
chaise,  he  drove  very  rapidly  ;  sometimes  fearfully 
so.  On  one  occasion,  Dr.  Danforth  accompanied 
him  to  a  consultation.  He  afterwards  declared  in 


1799-1  DEATH    OF   WASHINGTON.  389 

very  strong  language  that  he  would  never  ride 
with  Dr.  Warren  again.  "He  would  sooner  ride 
with  the  d — 1."  The  streets  of  Boston  were  not 
very  much  crowded  in  those  days ;  rapid  prog- 
ress was  easier.  A  military  company  sometimes 
barred  the  way,  and  on  one  occasion,  a  captain  who 
knew  him  and  perceived  his  rapid  approach,  gave 
the  order  to  open  to  the  right  and  left ;  either  re- 
specting the  surgeon's  haste,  or  paying  this  honor 
to  the  brother  of  the  slain  general. 

In  December,  1799,  the  death  of  General  Wash- 
ington took  place.  It  was  felt  by  my  father  with 
all  the  keenness  that  his  susceptible  nature  sub- 
jected him  to.  The  loss  of  a  child,  and  he  had  lost 
many,  could  not  have  afflicted  him  more.  Making 
the  welfare  of  his  country  his  first  object,  and  fully 
alive  to  all  the  perils  of  rocks  and  storms  with  which 
the  infant  republic  was  threatened,  he  felt  how  ir- 
reparable was  the  loss  at  this  time  to  the  nation. 

"  The  loss  of  this  great  man,"  says  Hildreth, "  es- 
pecially at  this  critical  moment,  was  a  terrible  blow 
to  the  Federal  party,  of  which  he  had  always  been 
the  main  pillar  and  support.  The  confidence  so 
almost  universally  reposed  in  his  virtue  and  his 
wisdom,  had  been  a  tower  of  strength,  against 
which  the  furious  waves  of  the  opposition  had 
dashed  harmless ;  and  in  the  present  unhappy  di- 
visions among  the  Federal  leaders,  many  eyes  had 
begun  to  turn  again  towards  him,  as  called  upon 
for  further  labors  and  sacrifices.  As  he  had  con- 
sented to  gird  on  again  his  sword,  to  repel  the  for- 


390  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  46. 

eign  enemies  of  this  his  country,  many  had  begun 
to  think  that  he  ought  also  to  permit  himself  to  be 
raised  a  third  time  to  the  presidency,  in  order  to 
still  once  more  the  contests  of  party,  and  to  save 
the  country  from  the  internal  dangers  that  threat- 
ened it." 

The  firmness  and  moderation  of  Washington 
were  indeed  needed  at  this  time.  Many  of  the 
most  earnest  of  the  Federalists,  sincere,  patriotic, 
religious  men,  looking  with  horror  upon  the  avowed 
atheism  of  the  French  Sans-culottes  and  philoso- 
phers, believed  that  the  propagation  of  French 
principles  involved  the  ruin  of  the  country.  They 
believed  that  men  who  had  thrown  off  all  the  re- 
straints of  divine,  as  well  as  human  authority, 
would  be  governed  by  no  law  but  their  own  selfish 
interests.  There  could  be  here,  as  there  was  in 
France,  only  a  fierce  and  selfish  struggle  for  indi- 
vidual preeminence,  ending  in  anarchy  and  con- 
fusion. 

Seventy,  even  fifty  years  ago,  views  which  are 
now  tolerated  and  even  admired  under  the  names 
of  Progress,  Philosophy,  and  Science,  would  have 
subjected  their  propagators  to  prosecution  and 
imprisonment.  Sentiments  to  which  our  daily  pa- 
pers and  even  our  pulpits  now  give  utterance  and 
publicity,  were  formerly  considered  atheistic  and 
blasphemous.  It  is  not  surprising,  therefore,  if 
many  of  the  wisest  and  best  informed  of  the  Fed- 
eralists looked  to  Great  Britain  as l  "  the  champion 

1  Hildreth. 


1799.]  LULL    OF   PARTY    FEELING.  391 

of  law,  order,  religion,"  and  property,  and  fully 
sympathized  with  her  in  her  contest  with  her  he- 
reditary enemy. 

Through  the  long  struggle,  from  the  commence- 
ment of  the  French  war  with  England,  till  the  final 
overthrow  of  Napoleon,  he  watched  with  intense 
anxiety  every  turn  or  event.  Probably  at  this 
time  he  did  not  share,  as  fully  as  afterwards,  the 
extreme  views  of  those  to  whom  the  name  of 
"  Essex  Junto  "  began  to  be  applied.  Prudence,  and 
the  calm  and  judicious  counsel  of  his  wife,  to  which 
he  was  ever  ready  to  give  due  attention,  led  him  to 
favor  conciliation  ;  though  in  the  subsequent  period 
when  war  with  England  had  actually  been  brought 
on,  he  fully  sympathized  with  their  measures.  It 
was  about  this  time  that  the  name  first  began  to 
be  applied  by  way  of  opprobrium.  In  the  sub- 
sequent war  with  England,  party  fury  absurdly 
accused  them  of  a  traitorous  design  to  separate 
from  the  Union,  and  join  the  country's  enemies  ; 
a  charge  most  preposterous  and  unfounded.  It 
will  be  time  to  return  to  this  matter  in  connection 
with  the  war  of  1812. 

It  is  possible  that  the  universal  sorrow  felt  at 
the  death  of  Washington  may  have  softened,  in 
some  degree,  the  bitterness  of  party  feelings,  and 
have  given  to  his  well  known  views  an  influence 
wider  than  while  he  was  living ;  and  that  thus  his 
death  may  have  been  less  utterly  disastrous,  than 
the  Federalists  had  reason  to  fear. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

1798-1802. 
YELLOW    FEVER   AGAIN    IN    PHILADELPHIA. 

Military  Preparations  checked.  —  Letter  on  the-  Fever  in  Boston.  — 
Vaccination. 

TN  August,  1798,  the  military  preparations  for 
the  war  against  France,  which  had  been  going 
on  with  great  vigor,  were  brought  to  a  sudden  check 
by  the  alarming  reappearance  in  Philadelphia  of 
the  yellow  fever,  which  raged  there  with  even 
greater  violence  than  in  1793.  All  who  were  able, 
fled  from  the  city.  Many  of  the  poorer  classes 
left  their  houses  and  occupied  the  fields.  The 
public  offices  were  removed  to  Trenton,  N.  J. 

It  appeared  in  every  part  of  the  city,  and  particu- 
larly in  places  where  accumulated  the  greatest  ex- 
halations from  foul  gutters  and  public  sewers.  Dr. 
Rush  says,  that  the  mortality  was  nearly  as  great 
as  in  1793 ;  although  the  number  affected  by  the 
disease  was  four  times  as  great  in  the  former  year. 
There  were  between  three  and  four  thousand 
deaths,  among  whom  were  three  physicians  and 
two  students  of  medicine ;  for  in  1798,  the  city 
was  deserted  by  nearly  all  its  inhabitants.  The 
deaths  in  the  former  year  are  stated  at  four  thou- 
sand and  forty-four ;  and  it  is  said  there  probably 
were  not  less  than  six  thousand  persons  ill  with  it 
at  one  time. 


1798.]  YELLOW   FEVER   IN    BOSTON.  393 

The  yellow  fever  showed  itself  in  Boston  at 
about  the  same  period,  and  in  answer  to  letters 
from  physicians  in  Philadelphia,  my  father  gives 
the  following  history  of  the  disease,  and  of  the 
modes  of  treatment  adopted :  — 

BOSTON,  December  22,  1798. 

"  I  have  just  received  your  favor  of  the  19th 
instant,  and  am  extremely  sorry  you  should  have 
formed  an  opinion  that  I  have  been  inattentive  to 
the  contents  of  your  first  letter,  on  the  subject  of 
the  epidemic. 

'"  I  very  highly  approve  of  the  plan  communica- 
ted, and  should  immediately  have  answered  it,  had 
I  not  concluded  it  most  expedient  to  wait  for  fur- 
ther facts  than  could  possibly  have  been  collected 
at  that  time.  The  principal  of  those  were  such  as 
were  connected  with  the  origin  of  the  disease,  and 
the  fatality  that  attended  it.  Many  circumstances 
respecting  the  collection  of  putrid  substances  in 
stores  and  cellars  were  suspected  to  have  existed 
under  a  concealment,  which  there  was  reason  to  be- 
lieve might  be  removed  after  the  fever  had  sub- 
sided, and  accurate  returns,  it  was  hoped,  would  be 
made  of  the  number  of  those  who  had  been  sick, 
and  of  those  who  had  died  with  the  disease.  In 
neither  of  these  particulars  have  I  yet  been  able 
to  procure  such  satisfactory  information  as  I  could 
have  wished,  but  shall  readily  offer  such  an  ac- 
count of  the  disorder  as  my  present  materials  have 
enabled  me  to  prepare. 

"  The  first  appearance  of  the  malignant  fever  in 


394  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  45. 

Boston,  was  on  the  20th  of  July,  1798 ;  though  one 
family  had  been  attacked  with  a  fever,  attended 
with  unusual -symptoms,  as  early  as  the  middle  of 
June ;  but  as  no  other  instances  occurred  for  so 
long  a  time  of  an  alarming  nature,  some  doubts 
may  be  justly  entertained  of  the  identity  of  the 
affection.  Three  or  four  cases  only,  I  believe,  hap- 
pened between  this  and  the  latter  end  of  the 
month.  The  two  first  of  these,  were  young  men 
employed  in  stores  directly  opposite  to  each  other, 
on  Green's  Wharf,  near  the  town  dock.  A  few  days 
after,  three  or  four  persons  were  seized  with  the 
same  complaints,  while  pursuing  their  several  oc- 
cupations in  Market  Square,  on  the  east  and  south 
side  of  Faneuil  Hall,  or  the  Market  House. 

"  In  the  beginning  of  the  month  of  August,  six 
or  seven  persons  were  taken  sick  in  the  same 
neighborhood,  chiefly  young  men  between  sixteen 
and  twenty-four  years  of  age,  while  employed  in 
the  stores  and  counting-houses  there  situated. 
The  stores  in  Merchants'  Row,  extending  from  the 
Market  to  State  Street,  were  more  particularly 
visited  by  the  fever,  and  in  the  course  of  the  same 
month,  a  family  at  the  bottom  of  State  Street,  and 
several  persons  at  Oliver's  Dock,  were  taken  sick. 
At  this  place,  a  kind  of  basin  is  formed  between  a 
point  of  the  town  projecting  from  Fort  Hill,  and 
the  Long  Wharf,  which  is  constantly  receiving  the 
offals  of  fish  and  other  animal  substances,  which, 
from  its  situation,  could  not  be  washed  off  by  the 
water  contained  in  it.  This  spot  is  remarkable  for 
having  been  the  residence  of  most  of  the  persons 


1798.]  YELLOW    FEVER   IN    BOSTON.  395 

first  attacked  with  the  Bilious  Remittent  fever  of 
1796. 

"  In  the  latter  end  of  the  month,  the  number  of 
sick  continued  to  increase,  but  the  attacks  were 
principally  confined  to  the  above  mentioned  quar- 
ter, till  at  length  the  disease  appeared  on  the  south 
side  of  Fort  Hill,  at  some  distance  to  the  southward 
of  Oliver's  Dock,  keeping  as  it  were,  over  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill,  without  alighting  upon  the  inhabit- 
ants on  the  north  of  that  eminence.  The  fatality 
of  the  disease  was  probably  greater  here,  than  in 
any  other  part  of  the  town  of  equal  population, 
and  it  was  nearly  the  last  place  in  which  it  ap- 
peared. 

"  Very  few  families  who  remained  in  their  own 
houses  on  the  Hill,  escaped  the  attack  of  the  dis- 
ease, and  its  progress  in  all  the  places  above  men- 
tioned, seemed  to  have  been  arrested  only  by  the 
evacuation  of  the  buildings  in  that  part.  In  the 
latter  end  of  August,  and  through  the  month  of 
September,  manj  persons  were  seized  in  Fore 
Street,  which  runs  northerly  from  Market  or  Dock 
Square,  along  the  heads  of  the  wharves,  and  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  town. 

"  Through  the  whole  period  of  the  sickness, 
scarcely  a  person  was  seized  with  the  disorder,  who 
had  not  resided,  or  been  in  daily  employment,  in 
the  vicinity  of  these  places.  The  subjects  of  the 
disease  were  generally  natives  of  the  town,  chiefly 
in  the  prime  of  life,  and  in  the  vigor  of  health. 

u  I  recollect  no  instance  of  any  of  the  French  in- 
habitants being  assailed  by  it,  and  have  heard  only 
of  one  or  two  of  the  blacks  being  affected  with  it. 


396  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  45. 

"  That  the  fever  was  in  a  degree  contagious,  I 
cannot  entertain  a  doubt,  but  that  it  was  not  so  in 
a  very  high  degree,  I  am  as  fully  persuaded,  from 
the  small  number  of  cases,  in  which  there  was  rea- 
son to  believe  it  could  not  have  been  taken  in  any 
other  way.  In  most  instances,  where  contagion 
might  have  been  suspected,  the  subjects  were  so 
situated  that  they  might  have  received  it  from  the 
same  source,  as  those  with  whom  they  had  commu- 
nicated. I  cannot  learn  that  any  evidence  has 
been  furnished  of  infection  by  the  sick,  who  had 
been  removed  into  the  country,  though  there  were 
many  instances  of  such  removals  under  the  most 
malignant  forms  which  it  assumed. 

"  The  fever  was  generally  ushered  in  by  a  chill, 
but  I  think  by  no  means  equal  to  that  which  com- 
monly precedes  fevers  of  the  ardent  kind,  nor  in 
proportion  to  the  violence  of  its  subsequent  pe- 
riods. In  a  short  time,  the  rigors  were  succeeded 
by  excessive  heat ;  the  pulse,  which  had  been  small 
and  contracted,  became  hard  and  full ;  the  respira- 
tion laborious,  from  violent  oppression  at  the 
scrottcyliis  cordis ;  the  tongue  assumed  a  whitish 
coat,  the  eyes  became  highly  inflamed,  while  the 
pains  in  the  head,  back,  and  legs,  became  intolera- 
bly severe.  To  these  symptoms  succeeded  nausea 
and  vomiting  of  a  highly  bilious  matter,  seldom 
attended  with  diarrhoea,  but  often  with  a  burning 
at  the  stomach,  tenderness  of  the  abdomen,  paucity 
of  urine,  and,  in  one  instance,  a  dysuria,  with  a 
great  proportion  of  blood  at  each  evacuation  of 
that  fluid. 


1798.]  YELLOW    FEVER   IN    BOSTON.  397 

"These  appearances  usually  continued  about 
forty-eight  hours,  after  which,  they  suddenly  g%ave 
place  to  a  very  different  train  of  symptoms.  The 
pulse  sunk  astonishingly  and  became  intermittent, 
the  heat  and  pains  entirely  subsided,  and  the  pa- 
tient supposed  himself  to  be  out  of  danger.  From 
a  perfect  possession  of  all  his  intellectual  faculties, 
with  a  serenity  of  mind  which,  in  no  other  disease, 
I  believe,  is  so  generally  observed  to  accompany 
its  last  stages,  in  about  the  fifth  day  from  the 
accession  of  the  fever,  he  fell  into  a  state  of  insen- 
sibility., and  thence  sunk  gently  into  the  arms  of 
death.  In  others,  this  change  was  less  rapid ;  the 
pulse  became  gradually  smaller,  the  distressing 
symptoms  slowly  abated,  a  coolness  of  the  extremi- 
ties took  place,  and  continued  for  several  days  be- 
fore death,  accompanied  with  clammy  sweats,  often 
without  any  perceptible  pulse  in  the  wrists,  for 
several  hours  before  the  fatal  termination. 

"  The  tongue  seldom  became  much  coated,  to 
the  last.  Delirium  was  by  no  means  generally 
attendant,  and  a  yellowness  of  the  skin  was  far 
from  being  universal.  Sometimes,  however,  this 
appearance  was  observed  within  the  three  first 
days,  often  on  the  fourth  and  fifth,  and  I  was  in- 
duced to  consider  it  rather  an  accident,  than  a 
constituent  character  of  the  disease. 

"For  the  discoveries  which  were  made  on  the 
dissection  of  some  of  the  persons  who  died  with 
the  disease,  I  beg  leave  to  refer  you  to  a  publica- 
tion in  the  "  Boston  Centinel,"  made  during  the 


398  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  45. 

prevalence  of  the  disorder  in  this  place,  and  sub- 
scribed by  Dr.  Rand,  President  of  the  Massachusetts 
Medical  Society,  and  myself." 

The  letter  goes  into  a  very  full  explanation  of 
the  treatment  adopted  and  considered  most  suc- 
cessful. This  I  omit  for  the  present. 

"  Various  have  been  the  causes,"  the  writer  con- 
tinues, "  assigned  to  this  disease.  That  its  origin 
was  domestic,  I  have  not  a  single  doubt.  No  in- 
stance of  the  arrival  of  a  vessel  from  the  warmer 
latitudes  with  this  sickness  on  board  has  been  dis- 
covered, and  it  is  believed  that  the  local  causes  are 
sufficiently  numerous  to  account  for  its  existence. 
At  most  of  the  places  where  its  ravages  have  been 
made,  very  large  quantities  of  putrid  substances 
had  been  accumulating.  The  offals  from  the  Fish 
Market,  as  well  as  damaged  fresh  and  salted  fish, 
to  an  immense  amount,  had  been  thrown  into  the 
Dock.  A  very  great  number  of  raw  hides  had 
been  imported  and  stored  in  places  contiguous  to 
those  in  which  business  was  constantly  going  on. 
The  influence  of  a  continued  heat  through  the 
summer,  to  a  degree  scarcely  before  known  in  this 
country,  had  rendered  these  articles  highly  putrid, 
and  from  the  same  cause,  several  articles  of  provis- 
ion, such  as  barreled  beef,  etc.,  which  had  been 
prepared  for  exportation,  but  by  reason  of  the  re- 
straints laid  on  our  commerce,  retained  in  store, 
had  become  tainted.  The  effects  of  these  were,  in 
some  instances,  incontestibly  evinced.  Three  lads, 
who  had  been  employed  in  repacking  beef,  were 


1798  ]  YELLOW    FEVER.  399 

about  the  same  time  seized  with -the  disease  in  its 
most  fatal  form,  and  a  person  who  had  purchased 
some  of  the  hides  at  a  low  price,  immediately  after 
their  removal,  fell  a  sacrifice  to  his  folly. 

"  Two  or  three  thousand  of  the  inhabitants  re- 
moved into  the  country,  and  returned  about  the 
middle  of  October,  when  the  decline  of  the  disease 
justified  the  measure." 

The  writer  goes  very  fully  into  the  subject  of 
treatment.  At  first,  the  method  of  treatment  gen- 
erally adopted,  was  that  used  in  Philadelphia,  in 
1793,  and  fully  described  by  Dr.  Rush.  It  con- 
sisted in  bleeding,  active  purges,  and  what  were 
called  small  doses  of  calomel. 

Dr.  W.  says,  "  In  my  own  practice  I  now  usually 
commenced  the  treatment  by  bleeding  from  ten  to 
sixteen  ounces,  and  followed  it  with  a  dose  of  be- 
tween ten  and  fifteen  grains  of  calomel  with  be- 
tween twenty  and  twenty-five  grains  of  jalap,  or 
an  ounce  of  Rochelle  Salts  or  more,  according  to 
the  constitution.  Immediately  after  the  opera- 
tion of  these  medicines,  I  began  with  the  use  of  cal- 
omel, in  small  doses,  in  pills  of  a  grain,  every  hour, 
and  sometimes  three  grains  every  two  hours.  I 
found  occasion  to  repeat  the  bleeding  two  or  three 
times,  and  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  in  scarcely  a 
single  instance  was  this  operation  performed  with- 
out almost  instantaneous  relief,  although  in  most 
cases  in  a  few  hours  after  there  was  a  recurrence 
of  the  symptoms." 

"  The  calomel  was  often  continued  through  the 


400  LIFE    OF   DR.-  JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  45. 

whole  course  of  the  fever,  and  a  ptyalism  was 
usually  brought  on  within  three  or  four  days,  though 
sometimes  upwards  of  two  hundred  grains  were 
given  at  the  rate  of  a  grain  every  hour  without 
any  specific  effect  on  the  salivary  glands.  In  pro- 
portion as  the  soreness  of  the  mouth  advanced,  the 
symptoms  universally  gave  way,  and  in  every  pa- 
tient, two  only  excepted,  this  effect  of  the  medi- 
cine was  a  certain  pledge  of  recovery." 

"Upon  the  whole,  I  believe  that  the  most  effica- 
cious remedy,  and  the  most  to  be  relied  upon,  is 
mercury.  It  is  certain  that  under  no  other 
method  of  treatment,  did  so  many  recover,  and 
there  were  but  few  instances  of  a  fatal  termina- 
tion, where  it  had  been  administered  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  fever." 

Dr.  W.  alludes  to  the  use  of  the  warm  bath,  as 
sometimes  employed  with  benefit ;  the  cold,  used 
sometimes,  perhaps,  with  good  effect,  but  he  has  no 
reason  to  think  it  generally  salutary. 

It  is  remarkable  that  Drs.  Bigelow  and  Holmes, 
in  1839,  give  an  account  of  the  treatment  of  yel- 
low fever  by  bleeding  and  mercury  as  supported 
by  very  high  authority,  and  quote  from  Chisholm : 
"Upon  the  whole,  then,  the  treatment  is  re- 
duced to  one  sentence  —  bleeding  to  the  extent 
necessary,  plentiful  alvine  evacuation,  mercurial 
ptyalism,  and  cold  affusion."  With  the  exception 
of  the  last  application,  the  treatment  is  the  same 
as  that  of  Dr.  W.  Drs.  B.  and  H.,  however,  after 
alluding  to  the  varying  treatment  which  may  be 
required  in  different  years,  and  under  different  cir- 


1798.]  TREATMENT    OF    YELLOW    FEVER.  401 

cmnstances,  conclude  with  a  hint  that  if  any  physi- 
cian is  bold  enough  to  try  the  expectant  treatment, 
he  may  be  sometimes  equally  successful. 

Louis,  who  was  one  of  the  commissioners  of  the 
French  Government  to  investigate  the  disease 
at  Gibraltar,  in  1828,  states  that  all,  or  nearly  all, 
the  English  physicians  prescribed  calomel  in  doses 
of  two  or  three  grains  every  two  hours,  counting 
from  the  first  or  second  day  of  the  disease.  After 
the  first  week  of  the  epidemic,  the  practice  of  all 
the  military  medical  men  became  the  same  ;  all 
administered  purgatives  and  calomel,  regarding 
calomel  as  the  sheet  anchor.  The  treatment  of 
the  Spanish  physicians  was  very  different,  con? 
sisting  of  castor-oil,  emollient  enemata,  etc.,  whilst 
unprofessional  men  thought  they  had  discovered  a 
specific  in  olive  oil.  The  mortality  in  town,  that 
is  to  say  of  those  under  the  Spanish  treatment, 
was  less  ;  but  M.  Louis  accounts  for  this  from  the 
circumstance  of  army  soldiers  being  worse  subjects 
for  fever. 

This  disease  prevailed  again  in  Boston,  in  the 
same  locality,  in  1802 ;  and  in  fact  for  many  years 
after  there  were  almost  annually,  especially  in  hot 
summers,  cases  of  the  disease  in  the  same  vicinity. 
In  1829,  it  prevailed  with  great  severity  and  fatal- 
ity. This  confirms  the  opinion  of  Dr.  Warren 
with  regard  to  the  local  origin  of  the  disease.  In 
1798,  he  says,  "  it  was  proved  satisfactorily  to  have 
been  indigenous."  He  says,  also,  "  no  physicians 
were  attacked  with  the  disease,  and  but  few  of  the 
nurses.  I  knew  several  that  attended  through  ev- 

26 


402  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  45. 

ery  stage  of  the  disease,  performing  all  the  offices 
of  humanity  and  affection,  without  the  smallest 
degree  of  complaint." 

The  biographers  of  Dr.  Warren  and  Dr.  Rand 
give  them  credit  for  the  intrepidity  with  which 
they  exposed  themselves  whilst  the  fever  was 
supposed  to  be  highly  contagious,  in  earnestly 
prosecuting  dissections  in  every  accessible  case,  in 
order  to  discover  the  morbid  phenomena,  and  the 
true  indications  of  treatment.  An  account  of  these 
dissections,  dated  September  5th,  1798,  was  pre- 
pared and  published  in  the  "  Columbian  Sentinel " 
and  other  papers. 

The  conclusions  drawn  by  them  are  as  follows:  — 

"  From  the  above  dissections,  which  evinced  a 
deficiency  of  secretions'  in  the  biliary  organs,  the 
indications  of  cure  seemed  to  be  directed  towards 
a  course  which  might  obviate  the  inflammation  in 
general  of  the  organs  diseased,  and  open  the  ex- 
cretory ducts  of  the  liver,  that  the  fluid  might  re- 
sume its  course  into  the  intestines. 

"  It  is  with  the  highest  degree  of  pleasure  that 
we  communicate  to  the  public  our  hopes  that  after 
proper  evacuations,  the  use  of  calomel  may  be 
found  to  answer  these  important  purposes.  This 
medicine  has  been  accordingly  used  with  much  suc- 
cess in  fifteen  patients  within  eighteen  days,  all  of 
whom,  excepting  one,  have  passed  the  dangerous 
period.  It  has  been  exhibited  not  in  the  usual  doses 
for  the  purpose  of  an  evacuant  by  the  intestines, 
but  in  small  doses  of  one,  two,  or  three  grains, 


1799-1  VACCINATION.  403 

every  hour  or  two,  to  produce  a  salivation  as  soon 
as  possible.  With  this  view,  from  one  hundred  to 
two  hundred  and  thirty  grains  of  calomel  have 
been  given  in  the  course  of  three  or  four  days, 
commencing  the  use  of  it  immediately  after  the 
first  copious  evacuations  by  bleeding  and  purg- 
ing ;  and,  in  every  instance,  as  the  salivation  came 
on,  the  disease  has  abated." 

This  account  is  also  published  in  the  second  vol- 
ume of  the  "  Memoirs  of  the  American  Academy." 
This  course,  they  go  on  to  say,  "  is  similar  to  that 
of  Dr.  Rush  of  Philadelphia,  and  still  more  highly 
and  explicitly  recommended  by  Dr.  James  Clark, 
in  a  treatise  on  yellow  fever  as  it  appeared  in  the 
Island  of  Jamaica,  in  1790." 

It  is  stated  that  Dr.  Warren  was  in  the  habit  of 
inhaling  the  breath  of  the  fever  patients,  in  order 
to  judge  of  the  effect  of  the  mercury  and  its  prog- 
ress towards  salivation,  it  being  considered  neces- 
sary to  produce  salivation  in  order  to  check  the 
disease ;  and  this  he  did  at  a  time  when  the  dis- 
ease was  considered  contagious. 

VACCINATION. 

We  have  already  seen  that  Boston  had  suffered 
very  severely  from  small-pox.  The  epidemic  had 
prevailed  at  various  periods  and  with  great  fatal- 
ity, owing  to  improper  treatment.  Inoculation 
with  small-pox  matter  had  been  introduced  by 
Zabdiel  Boylston,  in  1721. 

It  requires,  however,  a  knowledge  of  the  terror 
inspired  by  a  real  small-pox  epidemic,  to  realize 


404  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  46. 

the  importance  of  vaccination,  which  was  first  made 
known  in  this  country  in  1799. 

Its  discovery  was  first  announced  in  the  "  New 
York  Repository."  Dr.  James  Jackson,  then  in 
Europe,  studied  the  practice  under  Dr.  WoodvilLe, 
and  hastened  to  return  home,  bringing  with  him  a 
supply  of  vaccine  matter,  in  September,  1800.  In 
the  mean  time,  Dr.  Waterhouse  had  obtained  mat- 
ter from  Europe,  tried  the  effects  in  his  own  fami- 
ly, and  urged  its  general  employment.  As  was 
natural,  it  was  regarded  with  a  great  deal  of  in- 
credulity. The  idea  that  so  simple  an  operation, 
so  mild  in  its  effects,  should  be  a  complete  protec- 
tion from  a  disease  so  terrible,  required  the  strong- 
est efforts  to  overcome  the  general  incredulity. 
Even  in  the  present  day,  it  requires  all  the  strength 
and  certainty  of  general  experience,  aided  even  by 
an  occasional  small-pox  panic,  to  overcome  these 
doubts  and  prejudices.  After  a  long  interval  of 
freedom  from  its  scourge,  there  will  still  be  many 
people,  who,  having  only  vague  ideas  of  the  dis- 
ease, never  having  seen  it  except  in  its  pseudo 
form  of  varioloid,  prefer  to  take  the  chance  of  the 
real  disease,  rather  than  risk  what  they  suppose  to 
be  the  danger  of  humors,  from  vaccination. 

In  order  to  test  thoroughly  the  efficacy  of  cow- 
pox,  and  remove  the  existing  prejudices  upon  the 
subject,  the  Board  of  Health  in  Boston  erected  a 
Hospital  at  Noddle's  Island,  in  1802,  and  appointed 
a  number  of  physicians  to  pursue  a  course  of  ex- 
periments for  this  purpose. 

On  the  16th  and  19th  of  August,  nineteen  boys 
were  inoculated  with  pure  vaccine  matter,  in  pres- 


1799.]  VACCINATION.  405 

ence  of  the  Board  of  Health,  all  of  whom  received 
and  passed  through  the  disease  in  a  perfectly  satis- 
factory manner. 

On  the  19th  and  21st  of  November,  these  nine- 
te.en  children,  with  one  other,  who  had  received 
and  passed  through  the  disease  two  years  before, 
were  inoculated  for  the  small-pox  at  Noddle's 
Island,  with  matter  taken  from  a  small-pox  pa- 
tjent,  in  the  most  infectious  state  of  the  disease. 
The  arms  became  inflamed  at  the  incisions,  but 
there  was  no  constitutional  indisposition  whatever, 
though  they  had  no  medical  treatment,  and  were 
all  lodged  promiscuously  in  one  room. 

At  the  same  time,  and  to  prove  the  activity  of 
the  small-pox  matter  which  had  been  used,  two 
lads  who  had  never  had  small-pox  or  cow-pox, 
were  inoculated  from  the  same  matter.  At  the 
usual  period,  the  arms  of  these  two  patients  exhib- 
ited the  true  appearance  of  the  small-pox,  a  severe 
eruptive  fever  ensued,  attended  with  a  plentiful 
crop  of  genuine  small-pox  pustules. 

When  these  pustules  were  in  their  highest  state 
of  inflammation,  the  twenty  children  were  inocula- 
ted a  second  time,  with  recent  matter  taken  from 
the  said  small-pox  pustules;  they  were  also  ex- 
posed for  twenty  days  to  the  infection,  by  being  in 
the  same  room  with  the  two  boys  who  had  the 
small-pox,  so  that  if  susceptible  of  the  disease,  they 
must  inevitably  have  received  it. 

Each  of  the  children  were  examined  by  the  phy- 
sicians, who  were  individually  convinced  that  they 
were  free  from  every  kind  of  eruption,  and  were  in 
a  perfect  state  of  health ;  and  they  certify  in  a  report 


406  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  46. 

drawn  up  apparently  by  Dr.  Lloyd,  that  the  result 
of  this  experiment  is  satisfactory  evidence  that  the 
cow-pox  is  a  complete  security  agaimt  the  small-pox. 

This  report  is  signed  by  Drs.  Lloyd,  Danforth, 
Rand,  Jeffries,  Warren,  Welsh,  and  Bartlett.  It  is 
interesting,  as  showing  the  thoroughness  of  their 
investigation  of  the  subject,  and  it  must  have  been 
very  efficacious  in  promoting  the  propagation  of 
vaccine  inoculation. 

Nevertheless,  its  popularity  extended  slowly, 
and  it  was  considered  necessary  in  1808,  for  the 
Massachusetts  Medical  Society  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee, for  the  purpose  of  collecting  all  the  evidence 
with  regard  to  the  efficacy  of  cow-pox.  A  copious 
report  was  prepared  and  published  in  the  first  vol- 
ume of  the  Society's  "  Communications,"  establish- 
ing its  efficacy  beyond  dispute.  This  committee 
consisted  of  John  Warren,  Aaron  Dexter,  James 
Jackson,  and  John  C.  Warren. 

They  entered  very  fully  and  earnestly  into  this 
reexamination,  and  produced  an  elaborate  report,, 
embodying  four  Resolutions,  which  contain  all  that 
is  necessary  to  be  known  upon  the  subject,  and 
from  which  nothing  has  occurred  up  to  the  present 
time  to  detract. 

They  establish  the  full  efficacy  of  vaccination 
as  a  protection  against  the  small-pox,  as  complete 
as  small-pox  itself,  but  decide  that  it  is  better  to 
revaccinate,  as  a  test  of  the  perfectness  of  the  first 
vaccination.  Persons  have  been  known  to  have 
small-pox  a  second  time.  It  cannot  be  expected 
that  vaccination  should  be  a  more  perfect  protec- 
tion than  the  small-pox  itself. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

1799-1802.      , 
DOMESTIC    AFFAIRS. 

New  Session  of  Congress.  —  Troubles  always  Gregarious.  —  Domes- 
tic affairs.  —  Farm  at  Jamaica  Plain.  —  Mineral  Spring  in  Bos- 
ton.—  Monsieur  Ferori's  Letter.  —  Yellow  Fever  in  1802. 

O  0  great  had  been  the  panic  in  Philadelphia,  that 
the  President  debated  whether  he  should  not 
call  the  coming  meeting  of  Congress,  in  some  other 
city.  But  before  the  time  appointed  for  the  new 
session,  November  thirteenth,  the  fever  had  subsi- 
ded on  the  appearance  of  the  first  frosts. 

At  this  meeting  of  Congress,  the  measures  for 
active  warlike  preparations,  which  had  been  sus- 
pended by  the  fever  panic,  were  earnestly  resumed, 
and  after  some  successes,  a  Convention  with  France 
was  agreed  to,  which  was  ratified  as  we  have  al- 
ready stated,  in  1801. 

American  patriots  might  now  rejoice  in  the  con- 
clusion of  peace  with  the  two  powerful  belligerents, 
and  congratulate  themselves  and  the  country,  at 
its  favorable  prospects,  the  profits  of  the  carrying 
trade,  and  the  opportunities  afforded  for  the  culti- 
vation of  the  peaceful  arts. 

But  these  hopes  were  short-lived.  Intrigues  of 
every  kind  ensued.  The  old  political  struggle  of 


408  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  47. 

the  party  out  of  power  against  that  in  possession, 
the  ambition  of  Jefferson  and  his  ultra  democratic 
views  and  French  tendencies,  his  hatred  in  especial 
towards  the  Federalists,  were  the  cause  of  various 
dissensions. 

On  the  other  hand,  President  Adams  was  dis- 
trusted by  the  Federalists.  His  was  a  very  diffi- 
cult position.  Coming  into  power  after  Washing- 
ton, whose  firmness  had  obtained  for  him  suc- 
cess, and  almost  universal  love  and  respect,  but 
whose  seat  had  been  strewed  with  thorns,  Adams 
was  opposed  by  the  Democrats,  or  Jacobins,  and 
wanted  the  confidence  of  his  own  party. 

Dr.  Warren,  in  the  midst  of  this  constant  politi- 
cal excitement,  had,  of  course,  his  own  private 
sources  of  anxiety;  how  great  to  a  man  of  his  tem- 
perament, can  never  be  imagined  by  men  of  differ- 
ent mould.  It  is  a  worn-out  adage,  that  troubles 
never  corne  alone.  Has  any  one  ever  considered 
the  blessing  of  this  ?  The  sensitive  mind,  fixed 
upon  one  subject  of  regret  or  anxiety,  broods  over 
it.  It  assumes  colossal  proportions  and  may  lead 
to  insanity,  or,  if  short  of  that,  it  unfits  him  for  any 
active  exertion.  He  sinks  into  utter  hopelessness 
and  despondency. 

To  external  view,  Dr.  Warren's  situation  was 
prosperous.  He  was  rising  in  eminence,  as  a  sur- 
geon and  physician.  He  had  a  very  large  and 
increasing  practice,  becoming  larger  than  any  man 
in  Boston  ever  had  before,  or  has  had  since,  accord- 
ing to  the  testimony  of  his  son,  John  C.  Warren, 
who  was  certainly  good  authority.  He  had  a  large 


1800.]  TROUBLES    ALWAYS    GREGARIOUS.  409 

and  increasing  family,  a  wife  who  could  share  all 
his  anxieties,  enter  into  all  his  views,  and  bring  her 
strength  of  mind  and  cool  judgment  to  his  support. 
But  as  it  is  no  new  saying  that  a  large  family 
brings  great  cares,  so  also  it  must  bring  great  sor- 
rows. 

In  his  twenty -three  years  of  married  life,  sixteen 
children  had  been  born.  Will  it  be  credited  in 
these  days  ?  Of  these,  there  was  one  daughter, 
who  did  not  live  to  be  named ;  Thomas  Mifflin, 
who  died  at  seven  months  old ;  a  daughter  born  in 
1787,  lived  only  three  days.  Samuel,  named  after 
Dr.  Warren's  youngest  brother,  died  at  nine  years 
old;  Thomas,  the  tenth  child,  died  October,  1790, 
at  about  sixteen  months  old ;  George,  died  in  1793, 
three  years  old.  Thus,  out  of  sixteen  children, 
seven  had  died  at  this  time.  These  repeated 
losses  were  very  severely  felt. 

Pecuniary  matters  were  a  source  of  trouble. 
With  a  large  family,  in  a  troubled  time,  when  no 
property  could  be  considered  safe,  my  father  was 
never  free  from  anxiety,  lest  his  death  or  illness 
should  leave  his  family  destitute. 

The  two  elder  sons  were  now  of  an  age  to  de- 
cide upon  their  professions.  Joseph  had  inclined 
at  first  to  mercantile  pursuits.  Afterwards,  he 
went  out  to  Spain  with  a  cargo  of  fish,  in  1800. 
My  father  had  joined  with  some  merchants  of  Bos- 
ton, in  loading  a  vessel.  War  between  England 
and  Spain  broke  out,  they  found  the  Spanish  ports 
closed,  and  were  kept  out  so  long  that  the  fish 
spoiled,  and  the  cargo  was  lost. 


410  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  47. 

The  eldest  son  had  received  his  degree  at  Harv- 
ard, in  1797.  His  father  wished  him  to  enter  mer- 
cantile life.  Knowing  well  by  experience  all  the 
struggles,  hardships,  and  anxieties  of  a  physician's 
life  at  that  period  (in  these  days  men  take  it 
easier),  he  was  very  unwilling  that  any  of  his 
sons  should  follow  his  profession.  No  good  situa- 
tion offered,  however,  and  his  son,  without  any 
decided  taste  for  the  profession,  fell  into  the  groove. 
Very  naturally,  not  liking  the  confinement  of  the 
medicine  room  where  the  students  sat,  only  to  be 
varied  by  visits  at  the  Almshouse,  and  being  un- 
willing to  undergo  the  drudgery  of  a  quasi  appren- 
ticeship, his  three  years  had  not  been  profitably 
employed. 

He  had  also  met  with  a  disappointment,  by 
placing  his  affections  upon  a  young  lady  of  great 
personal  attractions  and  accomplishments,  but  want- 
ing the  means  to  make  an  engagement  prudent. 
The  parents  on  both  sides  interfered,  and  John  C. 
thought  he  could  not  recover  his  tone  of  mind, 
without  a  visit  to  Europe. 

This  additional  expense  came  very  hard  upon 
my  father.  He  had  been  induced  to  indorse  for  a 
friend,  Dr.  Haskell,  to  the  amount  of  about  forty 
thousand  dollars,  and  had  been  compelled  to  pay 
this  debt,  taking  as  the  only  compensation,  three 
townships  in  the  District  of  Maine,  and  a  claim  to 
two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  in  Virginia ; 
both  constant  sourees  of  perplexity  and  worry  to 
him  so  long  as  he  lived,  and  of  ruin  to  some  mem- 
bers of  his  family  after  his  death.  The  Virginia 


1800.]  DOMESTIC    CONCERNS.  411 

property  from  neglect,  taxes,  and  squatters,  not  to 
say  lawsuits,  gradually  melted  away,  though  a  city 
has  since  been  built  on  the  land.  The  eastern 
property  went  pretty  much  the  same  way,  —  the 
woodlands  stripped  of  their  timber  by  poachers, 
portions  sold  to  pay  taxes,  and  the  whole  yielding 
a  trifle,  except  in  anxiety  to  my  father,  and  an  im- 
mense amount  of  fruitless  labor  to  his  heirs. 

Dr.  Warren  therefore  could  ill  spare  this  out- 
lay at  the  present  time.  He  feared  that  his  son 
should  become  imbued  with  Democratic  principles, 
but  above  all,  he  feared  the  corruption  of  his  mor- 
als, from  the  influence  of  the  French  capital. 

The  condition  of  his  second  son  was  also  a  sub- 
ject of  great  anxiety.  He  was  now  in  Paris,  having 
lost  his  outfit,  without  any  professed  occupation 
or  means  of  support.  Should  he  engage  as  a  sea- 
man, or  return  home  and  prepare  himself  for  a 
mercantile  life  ?  This  was  the  first  question  trans- 
mitted to  his  father,  on  the  arrival  of  the  elder 
brother  in  Paris. 

If  he  took  to  the  sea,  he  was  liable  to  capture 
and  impressment  by  the  English,  and  still  worse 
treatment,  if  captured  by  the  French  in  an  English 
ship.  In  spite  of  treaties,  neither  of  the  bellig- 
erents regarded  the  rights  of  private  seamen.  Mer- 
cantile prospects  were  no  better. 

The  elder  brother  wrote  that  Joseph  would  do 
what  he  advised,  and  he  consults  his  father  as  to 
the  advice  he  shall  give.  It  resulted  in  Joseph's 
return  to  Boston,  being  set  up  in  business,  and 
again  unfortunate.  In  the  interval  that  ensued,  he 


412  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  47. 

visited  the  Maine  lands,  to  see  what  could  be  done 
with  them.  He  became  interested  in  a  young  lady 
of  the  place,  and  after  a  time  returned  there,  mar- 
ried the  lady,  and  settled  in  Palmyra,  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  woods.  At  that  time,  the  houses  in 
that  place  were  mostly  shanties,  built  of  logs  or 
rough  boards  of  the  most  primitive  construction. 
The  nearest  town  was  thirty  miles  distant ;  there 
were  no  roads,  and  the  inhabitants  went  in  by 
notched  lines  on  the  trees,  the  females  never  ex- 
pecting to  leave  the  place. 

It  was,  in  fact,  only  such  a  village  as  might  be 
formed  for  the  purposes  of  cutting  timber,  but  too 
far  in  the  woods  and  too  inaccessible,  for  any  mar- 
ket for  lumber,  when  cut. 

It  must  be  agreed,  then,  that  at  this  time  my 
father  had  subjects  enough  for  anxiety  and  trouble. 
Besides  the  domestic  cares  just  enumerated,  the 
political  horizon  was  cloudy  in  the  extreme.  Wash- 
ington was  dead.  The  Federal  party,  upon  whom 
he  considered  the  safety  of  the  nation  depended, 
was  approaching  its  downfall ;  Jefferson,  the  cham- 
pion and  ideal  of  Democratic  principles,  was  can- 
didate for  the  presidency,  and  the  only  hope  of  the 
party  was  in  the  support  of  Burr,  whose  ambition 
they  feared,  and  whose  principles  they  doubted. 
Jefferson  and  Burr  received  an  equal  number  of 
votes,  and  the  choice  devolved  upon  the  House  of 
Representatives. 

The  excitement  of  the  country  during  the  seven 
days'  protracted  session  of  the  House,  was  tremen- 
dous. Thirty-six  ballots  were  cast.  The  contest 


1780.]  ELECTION   OF    JEFFERSON.  413 

ended  in  favor  of  Jefferson,  and  it  adds  essentially 
to  the  high  reputation  of  Alexander  Hamilton,  for 
wisdom  and  foresight,  as  well  as  pure  motives,  that 
he  warned  his  party  against  Burr,  giving  the  pref- 
erence to  Jefferson,  who  had  always  been  his  per- 
sonal rival  and  opponent. 

But  the  election  of  Jefferson,  the  well  known 
friend  and  advocate  of  France,  and  of  Jacobinical 
principles  (as  they  were  called),  and  the  bitter 
enemy  of  England,  was  a  severe  blow  to  the  Fed- 
eral party.  A  greater  darkness  was  added  to  the 
gloom  already  prevailing. 

Thus  at  this  time,  while  my  father  had  lost  con- 
siderable property  by  indorsing,  one  son  had  made 
a  hasty  marriage  and  buried  himself  in  the  woods 
of  Maine ;  the  other  son  demanding  large  advances 
for  his  expenses  in  Europe,  and  exposed  to  all  the 
dangers  of  corruption  in  the  French  capital,  to  say 
nothing  of  other  perils  from  the  unsettled  state  of 
that  country.  Added  to  this,  at  home  there  were 
troubles  and  jealousies  connected  with  his  profes- 
sion, as  he  was  impeded  and  opposed  in  every 
step  which  his  eager  desire  for  the  improvement 
of  medical  knowledge  and  practice  induced  him  to 
urge  forward.  Well  might  he  say  at  this  time,  as 
he  did  ten  years  later, "  all  these  things  are  against 
me." 

It  was  not  the  custom  in  those  days  for  physi- 
cians to  take  a  vacation  in  summer,  as  is  done 
now.  Merchants,  tradesmen,  and  others,  stayed  in 
Boston,  dined  at  two  o'clock,  and  went  to  their 
places  of  business  directly  after  a  hasty  meal  dur- 
ing the  summer  months,  as  much  as  in  winter. 


414  LIFE   OP  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  47. 

My  father,  however,  purchased  a  house  in  Ja- 
maica Plain,  to  which  he  drove  out,  or  was  driven 
with  his  family  in  his  carriage  in  the  afternoon, 
whenever  leisure  permitted.  Here  he  enjoyed  his 
tastes  for  agricultural  and  horticultural  pursuits, 
pruning  and  budding  trees,  etc.  The  farm  con- 
sisted of  forty-two  acres.  A  large  garden  of  two 
acres,  was  stocked  with  every  variety  of  fruit.  He 
imported  trees  from  Europe,  and  a  French  gar- 
dener was  engaged  to  lay  out  the  garden. 

The  growing  trees,  an  orchard  and  nursery,  af- 
forded plenty  of  scope  for  interest  and  occupation. 
Dr.  Warren  became  an  active  member  of  the  Agri- 
cultural Society,  and  devoted  much  of  his  leisure 
to  the  pursuit. 

The  dwelling-house  was  a  low  building,  con- 
structed after  the  West  Indian  fashion,  of  one  story 
in  front,  with  an  addition  o,f  two  stories  in  the  rear. 
A  large  front  door  opened  directly  into  a  large 
hall,  and  it  was  remarkable  that  this  door  with  the 
one  opposite,  were  perfectly  plain  on  the  inside, 
indicating  that  they  were  always  intended  to  stand 
open.  Facing  you  as  you  entered,  was  the  door 
at  the  other  end  of  the  hall,  leading  through  a 
porch  into  a  carriage  yard  of  very  ample  dimen- 
sions. 

There  were  two  large  windows  in  front,  fur- 
nished with  blinds  of  half  inch  board,  leaving 
spaces  half  a  foot  wide  between  them,  allowing 
free  circulation  of  air,  but  sufficiently  darkening 
the  rooms.  Three  noble  old  elms  stood  upon  the 
road,  while  within,  were  Lime  trees  or  Lindens, 


1780.]  DOMESTIC    CONCERNS.  415 

and  beyond  these,  two  fine  rows  of  horse-chestnuts, 
giving  it  sometimes  the  name  of  "  Chestnut  Grove," 
though  the  name  was  never  adopted  by  the  heads 
of  the  family. 

On  the  right  side  of  the  hall,  were  two  doors 
leading  to  bedrooms,  of  comfortable  dimensions. 
Opposite  to  these  doors  were  windows,  which  were 
made  to  shut  down  upon  doors,  opening  into  a 
good  sized  piazza,  which  led  into  a  small  garden, 
adjoining  the  house.  These  windows  formed,  each 
of  them,  a  good  sized  door,  the  lower  part  of  which 
seemed  as  if  a  piece  of  the  panelling,  or  wainscot, 
had  been  cut  out  and  placed  on  hinges.  The  hall, 
evidently,  was  not  meant  to  be  carpeted,  for  the 
floor  was  painted,  and  in  a  circle  in  the  centre  was 
the  picture  of  a  dog,  probably  the  portrait  of  a 
favorite  spaniel,  admirably  executed  and  life-like. 
A  door  on  the  same  side  with  the  porch  door, 
opened  into  the  parlor,  beneath  which  was  the  cel- 
lar kitchen,  adjoining  the  cellar.  Within  this  cel- 
lar, was  a  deeper  one  for  milk,  but  being  generally 
half  filled  with  water,  was  not  of  much  use. 

On  the  further  side  of  the  parlor,  were  doors 
opening  upon  a  most  awkwardly  arranged  break- 
neck staircase,  which  led  down  one  way  into  the 
kitchen,  upwards  to  the  servant's  chamber,  and 
across  to  bedrooms  beyond,  by  a  landing-place 
which  needed  wary  steps  to  avoid  slipping,  while 
the  forgetful  or  unwary,  on  evading  this  Charybdis 
would  fall  into  Scylla,  by  a  bump  on  the  head, 
brought  into  contact  with  the  low  ceiling. 

The  furniture  was   plain.     A  large,  deep  sofa, 


416  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  47. 

covered  with  chintz,  deep  enough  to  form  a  comfort- 
able bed,  stretched  across  from  the  parlor  door  to  the 
porch  door.  A  plain,  antique  sideboard,  stood  be- 
tween the  two  long  windows  or  doors,  while  a  re- 
spectable supply  of  prettily  painted  wooden  chairs, 
stood  against  the  walls. 

The  parlor  was  furnished  with  a  turkey  carpet, 
high  back  mahogany  chairs,  with  hair  seats,  and 
studded  with  brass  nails ;  a  breakfast  table,  and  a 
tall,  eight  day  clock,  in  the  corner.  An  open  fire- 
place on  one  side  of  the  room,  gave  out  a  cheerful 
blaze  in  the  cool  evenings  of  spring  and  fall, 
while  the  aspect  of  the  hall  gave  the  idea  of  luxu- 
rious ease  and  comfort  in  summer,  without  the 
slightest  article  in  these  rooms,  or  elsewhere,  for 
show. 

Here  he  could  come,  and  for  a  time  forget  politi- 
cal cares,  professional  rivalries,  and  domestic  trou- 
bles. Here  also  any  of  the  family,  the  children, 
and  in  after-days,  the  grandchildren,  were  sent  to 
recover  when  any  illness  required  the  benefit  of 
country  air;  and  though  the  situation  was  low,  the 
house  damp  in  wet  weather,  a  few  weeks  residence 
was  regarded  as  a  complete  panacea.  None  of  the 
family,  children,  or  grandchildren,  were  ever  sub- 
ject to  scrofula  or  consumption. 

I  have  given  an  account  of  the  analysis  of  the 
waters  of  Boston,  by  M.  Feron,  published  in  the 
"  Memoirs  of  the  American  Academy."  In  the  sec- 
ond volume  of  the  "  Memoirs"  is  another  essay,  pub- 
lished in  1793,  of  which  some  notice  may  be  found 
interesting. 


1801.]  WELL   WATER   OF   BOSTON.  417 

Since  his  previous  Essay,  he  has  learned  that 
some  of  the  waters  or  springs  in  Boston  have  the 
faculty  of  staining  substances  yellow  and  black, 
and  have  a  bad  taste.  Among  these  were  Mr. 
Greenleaf 's  well  near  his  store  in  the  street  lead- 
ing from  Brattle  Street  to  the  market ;  that  of 
Mr.  Joseph  Hall's  distill  house  by  the  Mill  Pond  ; 
that  of  Mrs.  Newman  in  Fore  Street. 

On  a  careful  analysis  of  the  water  in  Mr.  Green- 
leaf's  well,  which  is  given  in  detail,  he  found  a 
salt  such  as  is  commonly  found  in  pump  waters, 
amounting  to  twenty-four  grains  in  a  gallon,  a  small 
quantity  of  iron  dissolved  by  fixed  air,  and  a  little 
ochre.  He  found  it  to  possess  nearly  the  same 
qualities  as  the  waters  of  Spa  and  Pyrmont,  ex- 
cept their  acidulous  taste.  It  is,  he  observes,  the 
province  of  the  physician  to  demonstrate  the  good 
effects  of  this  water  by  trial.  Whether  Mr.  Green- 
leaf's  well  owed  its  properties  to  some  temporary 
or  accidental  circumstances,  does  not  appear  ;  but 
no  useful  purpose  seems  to  have  been  made  of  it 
as  a  mineral  water.  Had  it  really  possessed  the 
properties  of  Spa  and  Pyrmont  from  a  natural 
spring,  its  merits  would  have  been  blazed  forth  and 
proclaimed.  The  well  would  have  become  famous. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  some  physicans  have  re- 
cently started  the  theory  that  the  real  qualities  of 
Boston  water  have  been  greatly  neglected,  and 
that  it  contains  ingredients  really  conducive  to 
health. 

The  following  letter  will,  I  think,  be  read  with 
much  pleasure,  even  if  it  excites  a  smile  at  the  at- 

27 


418  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  49. 

tempt  at  English  composition.     It  shows  the  amia- 
ble disposition  of  the  writer. 

M.  FERON'S  LETTER. 

"  LILLE,  DEPARTMENT  DU  NORD,  } 
Ce  26  Floreal,  An  X. 

"  DEAR  FRIEND,  —  How  long  is  the  times  since  I 
desire  to  hear  from  you.  I  did  not  receive  any 
letters  from  America  since  the  end  of  1796.  By 
that  I  learn'd  you  were  in  good  health,  hope  you 
continue  so  and  all  what  is  belong  to  you.  You 
ought  to  have  children  married  or  fit  to  be.  What 
have  you  done  with  your  sons  ?  Have  you  some 
one  in  the  medical  science  ?  How  many  children, 
and  is  your  dear  wife  well  ?  In  short,  do  you  en- 
joy all  the  blessings  I  ever  wished  you  ?  Pray  in- 
form me  with  all  that,  and  any  things  else  con- 
cerning your  welfare. 

"  I  took  the  liberty,  my  dear,  to  enclose  a  letter 
for  Bessy  Downes,  now  Mrs.  Goward  [Howard],  as 
it  is  almost  six  years  since  I  hear  from  her,  and  she 
answered  not  my  letters  of  xber,  1796.  I  am  afraid 
she  may  have  quitted  the  town  or  have  changed 
her  abode,  so  for  much  safety  of  her  receiving  this, 
I  put  it  under  your  direction,  being  persuaded  you 
will  take  good  care  of  it,  and  will  have  the  com- 
plaisance to  forward  it  as  soon  as  possible ;  for  I 
am  sure  she  be  glad  to  hear  from  a  good  friend. 

"  Inform  me  what  does  the  Medical  Society,  and 
the  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Cambridge.  Have 
you  raised  a  medical  schol?  Who  are  the  Pro- 
fessors ?  Do  you  leave  Inoculation,  to  replace  it 


1802.]  M.  FERON'S  LETTER.  419 

by  Vaccine  ?  What  is  the  success  of  it  ?  That 
operation  has  been  performed  here,  and  where  it 
has  succeeded,  as  it  happens  at  almost  every  times, 
it  appears  to  have  prevented  the  small-pox ;  for 
though  this  last  disease  is  always  in  this  town, 
there  is  no  observation  it  has  taken  one  that  had  a 
good  vaccine.  Nevertheless  there  is  practitioner 
and  others  who  have  no  confidence  in  it.  But 
that  has  always  been  towards  new  discovery.  In- 
form me  what  does  the  doctors  of  my  acquaint- 
ance. I  have  been  inform  poor  Dr.  Appleton  was 
dead.  It  grieve  me  much. 

"  I  am  in  this  town  this  five  years ;  professor  of 
medicine  to  the  Military  Gospital 1  of  instruction. 
I  teach  several  part  of  the  healing  art.  I  have 
under  my  direction  the  Botanic  Garden,  and  so  I 
will  give  you  soon  a  request  to  send  me  several 
bushes,  trees,  and  plants,  or  seeds  you  Gave  in 
America,  and  grows  not  in  our  country,  in  ex- 
change if  you  have  a  garden  of  that  kind  in  Bos- 
ton, and  you  desire  to  have  some  things  that  we 
possess.  I  will  be  glad  to  send  it  if  it  is  in  my 
power.  Lille  is  only  forty-eight  miles  from  Dun- 
kerque,  and  sixty  from  Calais.  If  any  American 
vessels  vere  coming  in  those  Garbors,  you  may  let 
me  know  it,  and  send  me  a  list  of  what  you  desire. 
I  will  endeavor  to  let  you  have  it.  As  we  are  go- 
ing to  be  easily  in  relation  to  London,  I  should  be 
glad  if  you  will  recommend  me  to  some  of  your 
friend  in  the  medical  profession  to  whom  I  may 
apply,  so  as  to  be  able  to  obtain  some  exotic  plants 

1  Dr.  Feron  uses  G  for  h  and  H. 


420  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  49. 

or  seeds  from  their  botanic  garden.     I  know  they 
are  rich  in  that  part  of  natural  history. 

"  Phisic,  Surgery,  and  Chymistry  are  teach ed  in 
our  schols  ;  there  is  four  hospitals  for  that  purpose 
in  the  republic ;  but  it  is  said  they  were  to  be  sup- 
pressed next  years,  and  a  new  one  only  stablish,  I 
don't  know  where ;  but  I  believe  I  shall  stay  here 
for  the  sick.  I  will  always  have  the  botanic  gar- 
den. Our  profession  is  not  good  know  in  France. 
There  is  but  few  places  and  we  are  not  pay'd 
enough.  I  have  had  one  of  the  first  place,  and  I 
am  not  easy.  I  have  spent  a  part  of  what  I  had 
during  the  war,  for  we  have  been  a  time  that  a 
month's  pay  was  not  sufficient  for  a  breakfast. 
We  hope  peace  and  times  will  improve  our  fate. 
I  have  but  two  daughter,  one  of  most  thirteen 
years,  and  a  little  one  of  two  and  a  half  years. 

"  Farewell,  my  dear  friend,  try  to  read  me  if 
you  can,  for  I  am  so  few  used  to  write  the  english, 
I  am  afraid  you  will  not  understand  half  what  I 
say.  I  have  not  written  an  English  letter  this  six 
years,  but  I  hope  to  do  it  oftener  for  the  future, 
our  communications  being  more  free,  and  will  do  it 
better.  Present  my  respects  to  your  dear  wife 
and  compliments  to  your  family,  and  to  those  that 
remember  me.  I  kiss  you  with  all  my  heart  and 
am  forever  your  best  friend,  Feron. 

"  Feron  Medicin  professeur  a  L'hospital  Militaire 
d'instruction  a  Lille  department  du  Nord. 

"  I  send  this  via  London,  for  I  believe  there  will 
be  much  opportunity  for  New  England,  even  for 
Boston." 


1802.]  YELLOW   FEVER   IN   BOSTON.  421 

On  the  thirtieth  of  January,  1802,  the  sixteenth 
child,  William,  who  was  born  in  1798,  died,  after  a 
very  short  illness  of  scarlet  fever,  or  of  throat  dis- 
temper (Cynanche  maligna],  which  was  then  pre- 
vailing in  Boston.  He  was  a  beautiful,  attractive 
child,  whom  his  mother  in  after  years  always  said 
was  the  most  promising  of  all  her  children,  and 
whom  she  never  ceased  to  mourn.  The  blow 
made  the  more  lasting  impression,  because  it  was 
so  sudden.  The  image  of  the  child  of  four  years 
old,  in  full  health  and  vigor,  remained  ever  fixed 
in  her  mind. 

The  town  of  Boston,  as  already  stated,  had  long 
remained  free  from  yellow  fever  as  an  epidemic, 
until  the  year  1798.  It  appeared  again  in  1802, 
with  all  the  circumstances  of  its  former  malignity. 
Dr.  Warren  has  given  in  his  "  Mercurial  Practice," 
a  full  history  of .  this  invasion  of  the  disease.  He 
was  in  bad  health  during  the  whole  period  of  its 
prevalence,  but  this  did  not  interfere  with  his  dili- 
gent performance  of  all  medical  duties.  In  the 
epidemic  of  1798,  he  had  taken  daily  minute  doses 
of  mercury,  which  he  considered  a  perfect  prophy- 
lactic, and  he  states  that  he  was  never  in  better 
health. 


CHAPTER  XXVL 

1802-1812. 
RELATIONS   WITH    ENGLAND    AND    FRANCE. 

Burr's  Duel  with  Hamilton.  —  Burr's  Conspiracy.  —  Total  Eclipse  in 
1806.  —  Austin  and  Selfridge.  —  Speech  against  the  Embargo. — 
Repeal  of  the  Embargo  Act.  —  Elbridge  Gerry,  Governor.  — 
Gerrymander.  —  Election  of  Caleb  Strong.  —  Adjunct  Professors 
in  the  Medical  School.  —  Medical  Lectures  in  Boston. 

TN  1804,  another  serious  blow  fell  upon  the  Fed- 
"  eral  party.  Aaron  Burr,  soured  and  disappoint- 
ed in  his  ambitious  schemes,  very  probably  reckless 
of  his  own  life,  determined  to  fix  upon  Alexander 
Hamilton  a  quarrel,  which,  while  it  would  serve 
him  for  an  object  of  vengeance,  might  remove  a 
successful  opponent,  though  not  a  rival,  from  his 
path.  Hamilton,  the  right  hand  of  Washington,  was 
by  far  the  ablest  and  wisest  of  the  Federal  party, 
so  much  so,  as  to  be  always  given  as  its  exponent. 
His  wisdom  and  foresight  had  pointed  out  the  am- 
bitious and  unscrupulous  character  of  Burr,  and 
the  greater  danger  of  the  election  of  such  a  man 
to  the  presidency,  than  that  of  Jefferson,  though 
the  latter  was  the  leader  of  the  Democrats. 

As  the  wisest  of  men  are  said  each  to  have  his 
pocket  full  of  folly,  and  as  Washington  is  said  to 
have  expended  his,  in  promoting  the  removal  of 


1804.]  DUELLING.  423 

the  seat  of  Government  to  his  native  State,  so 
'Hamilton  expended  his  portion  in  one  great  act 
of  folly  and  weakness,  in  allowing  himself  to  be 
badgered  into  a  duel,  by  a  disappointed,  unprin- 
cipled man.  The  duel  took  place  the  llth  of  June, 
1804. 

It  is  a  curious  fact,  which  I  think  will  not  on  se- 
rious reflection  be  denied,  that  though  fifty  or  sixty 
years  ago  the  laws  of  honor  were  considered  more 
imperative,  and  it  was  held  that  in  certain  cases  a 
man  must  be  prepared  to  defend  his  honor  at  the 
expense  of  his  life,  yet  a  successful  duelist  was 
looked  upon  with  more  horror,  than  at  present, 
especially  at  the  North.  Human  life  was  consid- 
ered more  sacred ;  and  a  murder  or  case  of  man- 
slaughter was  a  matter  in  which  the  whole  com- 
munity took  an  intense  interest.  Now,  we  notice 
in  every  paper  the  account  of  a  murder  or  of 
wounds  in  an  affray,  which  have  become  so  com- 
mon we  do  not  stop  to  read  them ;  while  the  most 
bare-faced  deliberate  assassin  finds  his  supporters. 

Duelling  has  been  brought  into  disrepute  of 
late  years,  more  by  being  rendered  ridiculous  by 
those  who  have  resorted  to  it,  than  by  any  consci- 
entious motives. 

It  has  always  been  and  ever  will  be  regarded  in 
future  history,  as  at  the  present  time,  the  great 
blot  upon  the  character  of  Hamilton,  that,  against 
his  principles,  he  allowed  himself  to  be  goaded  to 
his  death  by  such  a  man  as  Burr. 

The  indignation  against  the  assassin  was  univer- 
sal ;  but  the  loss  was  felt  in  the  greatest  degree 
by  the  Federal  party,  for  although  Hamilton  had 


424  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  53. 

retired  from  public  life  on  the  death  of  Washing- 
ton, yet  he  continued  to  take  an  active  part,  and* 
his  influence  was  all  the  greater  that  he  sought 
nothing  for  himself.  How  strongly  my  father 
sympathized  in  those  feelings  of  sorrow  and  indig- 
nation, I  need  not  stop  to  describe. 

On  December  19th,  1804,  the  youngest  child  was 
born,  the  17th  according  to  the  family  record,  but 
counting  two  still-born  or  premature  births,  as  did 
my  mother,  made  it  the  19th. 

In  1806  there  was  a  total  eclipse  of  the  sun, 
in  which  the  darkness  was  more  entire  than  in 
either  of  those  which  has  occurred  since.  The 
family  went  up  upon  the  flat  roof  on  the  ell  of  the 
house.  My  father  took  his  youngest  child,  then 
two  years  old,  in  his  arms,  saying,  "  all  dark,"  and 
the  child  repeated  the  words,  "  all  dark,"  putting 
out  his  hands  in  imitation  of  his  father.  On  the 
roof  with  the  family  was  Mr.  Gilpin,  a  gentleman 
from  Newport,  upon  whose  son's  eyes  Dr.  Warren 
had  operated  for  cataract  with  perfect  success. 

On  a  visit  to  the  family  twenty  years  after,  Mr. 
Gilpin  saw  the  young  man  whom  he  had  met  on 
the  roof  as  an  infant  in  1806,  and  his  first  ques- 
tion was,  "  Pray  sir,  do  you  remember  the  total 
eclipse?"  The  answer  was  that  it  was  perfectly 
fixed  and  clear  in  his  mind.  Dr.  Warren  had  un- 
doubtedly intended  this  as  an  experiment  upon 
the  possibility  of  fixing  a  particular  circumstance 
in  the  memory  at  a  very  early  age,  and  by  fre- 
quently bringing  it  to  the  child's  memory,  by  en- 
acting the  scene,  and  comparing  it  with  the  dark 
day  of  May  10,  1780.  Mr.  Gilpin  was  desirous  of 


1806.]  BURR'S  CONSPIRACY.  425 

knowing  how  far  the  experiment  had  succeeded. 
This  eclipse,  I  think,  must  have  been  as  complete 
as  that  of  April  22d,  1715,  when  the  darkness  was 
so  entire  that  the  stars  shone,  and  the  birds  went 
to  roost  at  noon. 

The  year  1806  was  also  made  memorable  by 
the  mysterious  undertakings  or  conspiracy  of  Burr. 
Historians  have  been  puzzled  as  to  what  his  de- 
signs really  were ;  but  as  he  communicated  them 
in  a  moment  of  confidence  to  a  friend,  they  were 
sufficiently  vast.  He  explained  to  him,  "  a  project 
for  revolutionizing  the  Western  country,  separat- 
ing it  from  the  Union,  and  establishing  a  mon- 
archy, of  which  he  was  to  be  the  sovereign ;  New 
Orleans  to  be  his  capitol,  and  his  dominion  to  be 
further  extended  by  a  force  organized  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi, so  as  to  include  a  part  or  the  whole  of 
Mexico."  It  was  said  that  Ohio,  Indiana,  Ken- 
tucky, Tennessee,  and  the  territory  of  Orleans,  had 
combined  to  declare  themselves  independent  on 
the  15th  of  November. 

Here,  then,  was  an  instance  of  a  design  to  se- 
cede, formed  many  years  earlier  than  that  falsely 
charged  upon  the  Federalists  by  their  adversaries, 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Burr's  enterprise  was  con- 
ducted upon  a  large  scale,  and  carried  into  overt 
acts ;  but  his  plans  were  betrayed  or  discovered, 
and  he  was  brought  to  trial,  not,  however,  before 
the  government  had  incurred  great  expense,  and 
made  powerful  efforts  for  suppressing  the  conspir- 
acy. Burr  was  brought  to  trial,  but  the  Federal- 
ists, unwilling  that  the  Democratic  government 


426  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  54. 

should  make  too  much  capital  of  the  successful  sup- 
pression of  a  powerful  insurrection,  were  disposed 
to  make  as  light  as  possible  of  the  whole  affair. 
The  trial  resulted  in  his  acquittal ;  but  he  was 
ignored  by  both  parties,  and  suffered  probably  the 
severest  punishment  such  a  man  could  feel,  in  be- 
ing allowed  to  draw  out  the  remainder  of  his  life 
in  insignificance  and  contempt,  with  the  mark  of 
Cain  upon  his  brow.  His  only  solace  was  the  love 
of  an  accomplished  daughter  who  lived  at  a  great 
distance,  and  who  was  lost  at  sea  ;  forced,  it  is  said, 
to  a  cruel  death  by  pirates.  Aaron  Burr  was  to 
he  seen  in  New  York  where  he  was  living  about 
the  year  1828,  a  *  miserable,  disappointed  man,  re- 
spected by  no  one,  but  pointed  out  to  all  strangers 
as  the  person  who  killed  Alexander  Hamilton.  It 
is  by  this  act  that  he  is  chiefly  remembered, 
rather  than  by  the  famous ,  struggle  for  the  presi- 
dency, or  for  his  ambitious  enterprise  against  Mex- 
ico, or  whatever  else  he  had  in  view. 

After  His  acquittal,  Burr  had  gone  to  England, 
hoping  to  obtain  aid  there  for  his  project  against 
Mexico.  But  he  entirely  failed,  was  regarded  as  a 
French  spy,  and  ordered  out  of  the  country  under 
the  Alien  Law.  He  went  to  France,  but  Bonaparte 
regarded  him  as  an  English  spy,  and  he  was  long 
detained  in  Paris ;  at  times  in  the  deepest  poverty, 
He  died  in  1836  at  the  age  of  eighty. 

Amid  these  times  of  great  political  excitement 
occurred  the  shooting  of  Austin,  which  for  many 
years  after  formed  a  subject  of  excited  discussion. 

A  full  account  of  the  affair  is  given  in  the  first  vol- 


1807.]  AUSTIN   AND    SELFRIDGE.  427 

ume  of  the  "  Life  of  John  C.  Warren."  1  Austin's 
father  was  the  editor  of  the  "  Chronicle,"  a  Demo- 
cratic paper  of  which  I  have  already  spoken.  "  It 
was,"  says  J.  C.  Warren,  "  the  vehicle  of  abuse  and 
denunciation."  Thomas  C.  Selfridge,  a  talented 
lawyer,  in  return  denounced  Austin  severely. 
Austin's  son  took  up  the  quarrel  and  threatened 
publicly  to  chastise  the  obnoxious  writer.  They 
met  in  State  Street  at  noon.  Austin,  armed  with  a 
good  sized  club,  struck  his  opponent  upon  the 
head.  Selfridge  drew  a  pistol  and  shot  Austin 
dead.  Dr.  Warren  and  his  son  were  called  rn  to 
attend  and  give  evidence  in  the  case  of  Selfridge. 
The  former  was  prevented  by  illness  from  appear- 
ing in  court.  The  latter  appeared  in  his  defense, 
and  he  was  acquitted.  Dr.  Warren  was  subse- 
quently called  upon  for  his  certificate,  which  he 
gave  as  follows  :  — 

"BOSTON,  January  15,  1807. 

"  Having  been  called  on  the  2d  of  August  last 
to  visit  T.  C.  Selfridge,  Esq.,  on  account  of  a  blow 
received  upon  his  head,  and  my  testimony  being 
now  required  in  consequence  of  my  having  been 
by  sickness  prevented  attending  at  court  at  the 
time  of  trial,  I  do  hereby  declare  that  I  found  a 
contusion  on  the  left  side  of  the  said  Selfridge's  fore- 
head, to  the  best  of  my  judgment  about  three 
inches  long,  and  one  and  a  half  or  two  inches  wide, 
the  integuments  being  swelled  to  the  thickness  of 
about  three  quarters  of  an  inch ;  and  that  the  force 

1  Life  of  John  C.  Warren,  vol.  i.,  p.  65. 


428  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [Acs  54. 

of  the  blow  appeared  to  have  been  such  as  might 
have  been  followed  by  fatal  consequences. 

"  JOHN  WARREN." 

Difficulties  with  England  did  not  cease.  In 
1807  the  ship  Chesapeake  was  brought  to  by  the 
English  squadron,  fired  into,  three  men  killed,  and 
three  men  taken  as  deserters;  an  act  which  ex- 
cited universal  indignation  throughout  the  country. 
Eemonstrances  were  made  to  the  English  govern- 
ment, the  act  disavowed,  and  compensation  agreed 
upon.  The  men  were  returned,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  one  who  had  confessed  himself  an  English- 
man and  deserter,  and  was  hung.  In  addition  to 
this  amend  it  was  imprudently  insisted  upon  by 
our  government  that  the  visitation  of  American 
vessels  in  search  of  British  subjects  should  be  given 
up. 

This  demand  was  the  occasion  of  a  proclamation 
by  the  English  government,  authorizing  all  com- 
manders of  foreign  ships  to  seize  all  British  mar- 
iners found  on  board  foreign  vessels.  Hence  all 
bitter  feelings  were  aggravated  on  both  sides. 

On  the  other  hand,  France  had  pronounced  that 
all  merchandise  derived  from  England  or  her  colo- 
nies, by  whomsoever  owned,  was  liable  to  seizure, 
even  on  board  neutral  vessels.  The  cargo  of  the 
American  ship  Horizon,  which  had  been  stranded 
on  the  French  coast,  was  declared  confiscated  by 
the  French  Council  of  Prizes,  and  a  large  amount 
of  American  property  which  had  already  been  cap- 
tured from  time  to  time,  was  also  confiscated. 


1807.]  SPEECH   AGAINST    THE   EMBARGO.  429 

England,  by  orders  in  council,  November  llth, 
prohibited  any  trade  with  France  or  her  allies, 
unless  through  Great  Britain ;  an  order  aimed  es- 
pecially at  America,  which  was  now  the  only  neu- 
tral. 

On  the  receipt  of  the  news,  President  Jefferson 
sent  a  message  to  both  houses  recommending  an 
inhibition  of  the  departure  of  all  vessels  from  the 
ports  of  the  United  States.  The  Senate,  after  four 
hours'  session  with  closed  doors,  passed  the  Em- 
bargo Act.  After  two  or  three  days'  deliberation, 
it  was  passed  by  the  House,  and  signed  by,  the 
President,  December  twenty-second. 

The  despatches  from  France  had  been  made  the 
occasion  of  the  passage  of  the  Embargo  Act,  so  that 
though  it  was  principally  aimed  at  England,  it 
seemed  intended  against  France  ;  the  government 
thus  desiring  to  disguise  their  hostility  to  the  for- 
mer country. 

As  soon  as  the  pressure  of  this  act  and  certain 
supplementary  acts  was  felt  by  the  people,  they 
complained  bitterly  of  its  impolicy.  A  meeting  to 
strengthen  the  administration  was  held  in  Boston, 
July  10th,  over  which  Elbridge  Gerry  presided.  A 
second  meeting  was  held  July  16th,  at  which  John 
Quincy  Adams,  H.  G.  Otis,  Christopher  Gore,  T.  H. 
Perkins,  John  Warren,  and  other  distinguished  cit- 
izens were  present. 

Dr.  Warren  spoke  as  follows  :  — 

SPEECH   AGAINST   THE   EMBARGO    ACT. 

"  There  are  two  reasons  which  operate  upon  my 
mind,  Mr.  Moderator,  for  addressing  the  Legisla- 


430  LIFE   OF    DK.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  54. 

ture,  as  is  proposed  in  the  warrant  for  this  meet- 
ing. 

"  The  one  is,  that  it  appears  to  me  that  no  argu- 
ments have  been  produced  to  prove  the  embargo 
necessary.  The  other  is,  that  I  consider  the  exe- 
cution of  the  proposed  laws  for  enforcing  it  utterly 
impracticable. 

"  I  believe,  sir,  that  the  embargo  is  unnecessary, 
because  I  know  of  no  existing  circumstances  in  our 
foreign  relations  to  justify  it.  It  has  been  argued 
that  it  is  the  only  substitute  for  war.  War  with 
whom  ?  Is  it  a  substitute  for  war  with  France  ? 
Why,  Mr.  Moderator,  so  far  as  respects  the  ocean, 
which  is  the  only  field  on  which  she  is  capable  in 
any  degree  of  waging  war  with  us,  is  she  not  at 
war  with  us  already  ?  Is  not  France,  sir,  at  this 
moment,  has  she  not  for  some  time  previous  to 
our  embargo,  been  waging  war  with  our  com- 
merce ?  Has  she  not  sunk,  burnt,  and  destroyed 
our  ships  which  she  has  met  with  at  sea,  in  all  in- 
stances except  when  she  has  found  it  more  con- 
venient to  carry  them  into  port  and  condemn 
them,  or  hold  them  in  durance  for  adjudication,  as 
a  threat  or  a  means  of  forcing  us  into  a  war  with 
Great  Britain  ?  It  is  true,  sir,  France  has  not  de- 
clared war  against  us,  and  she  has  two  reasons  for 
it.  One  is,  tha*t  she  is  deriving  all  the  advantages 
which  she  could  expect  from  an  open  war  with  us, 
and  the  other  is,  that  by  avoiding  a  declaration, 
she  expects  to, induce  our  administration  to  keep 
on  the  embargo  with  respect  to  Great  Britain, 
which  she  highly  approves  of,  and  which  you  know 


1807.J  SPEECH    ON   THE   EMBARGO    ACT.  431 

would  immediately  be  raised  in  case  of  a  war  be- 
tween the  United  States  and  France.  Perhaps, 
Mr.  Moderator,  it  may  be  said  this  embargo  so 
pleasing  to  the  Emperor  is  the  very  price  which 
we  are  paying  for  the  present  peace,  if  it  may  be 
called  so,  which  we  are  enjoying  with  that  power. 
This  may  be  the  case,  sir,  but  if  it  is,  it  is  a  most 
unprofitable  bargain  on  our  side,  for  it  subjects 
us  to  greater  evils  than  it  inflicts  on  Great  Britain, 
without  any  equivalent  from  France. 

"  Is  the  embargo  a  substitute  for  war  with  Great 
Britain,  or  in  other  words,  if  the  embargo  was 
raised,  would  a  war  with  Great  Britain  be  inevi- 
table ? 

"  I  cannot  believe,  Mr.  Moderator,  that  Great 
Britain  would  be  less  amicably  disposed  towards 
the  United  States  for  repealing  an  act  which  has 
been  so  much  applauded  by  her  enemy  the  Empe- 
ror, and  which  she  thinks  has  been  intended  as  an 
act  of  hostility  towards  her.  But  it  may  be  said, 
we  must  either  go  to  war  with  her,  or  submit  to 
the  Orders  of  Council.  Sir,  it  appears  to  me  ab- 
surd, to  suppose  that  we  could  be  at  war  with 
France  and  Great  Britain  at  the  same  time ;  and 
it  is  certain  that  Great  Britain  has  made  such  ef- 
forts at  an  amicable  adjustment  of  her  differences 
with  this  country,  as  evince  a  wish  to  be  at  peace 
with  us. 

"France  has  demanded  that  we  declare  war 
with  Great  Britain  ;  and  if  instead  of  doing  it  we 
raise  the  embargo,  and  she  should  declare  war 
against  us,  the  Orders  of  Council  must  be  repealed, 


432  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AoE  54. 

even  upon   the  very  principle  upon  which  they 
were  founded. 

"  My  other  reason  for  advocating  an  address  to 
the  legislature  is,  that  I  consider  the  embargo  law 
as  impracticable. 

"  It  is  impracticable,  sir,  because  some  of  the 
provisions  are,  according  to  the  sentiments  of  a 
great  number  of  the  people,  unconstitutional.  It 
is  considered  as  violating  the  right  of  acquiring, 
possessing,  and  protecting  property  ;  depriving  the 
citizen  of  those  useful  occupations  and  emolu- 
ments, and  placing  his  property  under  the  control 
of  the  tools  of  government  with  a  power  of  with- 
holding it  from  the  hands  of  the  owner. 

"  It  confides  the  life,  liberty,  and  property  of  the 
citizen  to  the  unrestrained  discretion  of  an  officer 
of  the  government,  under  secret  instructions  from 
the  President,  instead  of  standing  laws.  It  is  con- 
sidered as  subjecting  to  heavy  and  unreasonable 
fines  and  penalties,  persons  suspected  of  an  inten- 
tion to  violate  the  law,  without  affording  legal 
remedy  for  injuries  sustained  by  unfounded  sus- 
picions. 

"  It  is  considered  as  rendering  the  civil  subordi- 
nate to  the  military  authority,  by  the  power  it 
gives  of  enforcing  the  act  by  military  authority  at 
the  command  of  the  collector. 

"  It  is  considered  as  endangering  the  liberties  of 
the  people  by  employing  standing  forces  at  times 
of  peace,  to  coerce  the  citizens  in  the  execution  of 
the  act. 

"  These  impressions,  Mr.  Moderator,  are  found 


1809.]  REPEAL    OF   THE   EMBARGO    ACT.  433 

operating  on  a  great  proportion  of  the  citizens,  at 
least  of  the  commercial  part  of  the  community  ; 
and  whilst  these  impressions  exist>  it  will  be  ut- 
terly impracticable  to  enforce  the  embargo  with- 
out bloodshed  ;  nor  even  then  against  the  general 
sense  of  the  people." 

It  has  been  regarded  as  a  matter  worthy  of 
pride,  that  the  Embargo  Act  being  regarded  in 
New  England  as  unconstitutional,  no  ships  brought 
in  under  it  could  be  condemned.  Other  acts  were 
passed  to  enforce  it,  which  increased  the  odium, 
and  the  opposition  was  so  great  that  it  was  re- 
pealed in  February,  1809. 

Mr.  Gore,  the  Federal  candidate,  was  elected 
Governor  this  year ;  but  the  efforts  of  the  party 
relaxing  as  usual  with  them  and  their  successors, 
as  soon  as  the  evil  to  be  suppressed  is  overcome, 
the  Democratic  candidate,  Mr.  Elbridge  Gerry,  was 
elected  the  following  year,  April,  1810. 

An  arrangement  was  made  with  England  and 
approved  by  President  Madison,  but  subsequently 
repudiated  by  the  English  government,  so  that  the 
grievances  continued  as  a  fertile  source  of  ill-feel- 
ing until  they  finally  matured  into  the  War  of 
1812. 

Mr.  Gerry's  reign  is  commemorated  by  the  in- 
troduction of  a  system  of  districting  the  State  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  give  the  greatest  number  of 
representatives  possible  to  the  Democratic  side;  a 
scheme  that  met  with  abundant  ridicule  in  the 
Federal  papers,  which  gave  a  print  of  a  huge  mon- 

28 


434  LIFE    OF   DR.   JOHN    WARREN.  [Act  57. 

ster  designated  the  "  Gerrymander,"  upon  which 
were  represented  the  different  localities,  occupying 
head,  legs,  body,  etc. 

I  recollect  more  vividly  than  the  scenes  of  yes- 
terday, my  father's  strong  feeling  as  he  pointed 
out  to  me  the  monster  portrayed  in  the  "  Centinel " 
or  the  "  Palladium,"  and  the  difficulty  I  had  in  com- 
prehending what  this  detestable  dragon  was  to  do 
in  the  nation,  whether  it  was  to  eat  up  all  the  Fed- 
eralists ?  He  took  all  the  papers,  or  they  were 
sent  to  him,  the  "  Centinel,"  the  "  Palladium,"  the 
"  Advertiser,3'  the  "  Chronicle  "  and  the  "  Patriot," 
both  of  which  I  was  taught  to  consider  horrible  and 
atrocious.  The  "  Chronicle  "  was  decorated  at  this 
time  with  a  ship  of  war  bearing  flags  flying  with  the 
inscription,  "  Free  Trade  and  Sailors'  Rights."  I 
thought  it  much  the  prettiest  picture. 

Elbridge  Gerry  was  the  devoted  partisan  of 
Madison,  and  as  such  his  measures  were  looked 
upon  by  Dr.  Warren  as  utterly  destructive  to  the 
country,  as  bringing  on  a  war  with  the  most  pow- 
erful nation  of  Europe,  and  tending  to  promote 
anarchy  and  the  downfall  of  the  Federal  govern- 
ment at  home. 

If  we  look  back  with  impartial  eyes  upon  the 
condition  of  things  at  that  period,  drawing  conclu- 
sions from  the  history  of  past  nations ;  what  else 
but  disaster  could  have  been  predicted  ?  The  Re- 
public, a  cluster  of  independent  States,  not  united 
long  enough  to  have  their  union  rendered  stable ; 
the  States  having  entirely  different  interests  from 
each  other  —  the  seaboard  from  the  agricultural  — 


1810.]      .  DANGERS    TO    LIBERTY  435 

the  bitter  hostility  between  the  two  parties,  the  ex- 
ample and  influence  of  France,  the  spread  of  the 
principles  of  Tom  Paine,  what  else  could  have 
been  expected  than  the  fate  which  had  already 
overtaken,  and  that  which  awaited  France,  —  uni- 
versal anarchy,  succeeded  by  a  military  despotism  ? 
We  can  only  say,  such  a  fate  was  averted  by  the 
beneficent  designs  of  Providence. 

But  so  long  as  the  best  educated  and  most  in- 
fluential part  of  a  community  are  not  entirely 
sunk  in  selfish  devotion  to  the  pleasures  of  the 
senses,  so  long  as  they  are  not  given  up  body  and 
soul  to  the  enjoyments  of  the  elegant  refinements 
of  wealth,  and  the  luxuries  of  high  living,  the 
advent  of  real  danger  will  bring  forward  those  who 
care  nothing  for  the  rewards  or  the  honors  of 
office,  and  are  ready  to  devote  their  capacities  and 
means  to  the  public  service,  seeking  to  promote  it 
by  the  purest  measures. 

Vox  Populi  may  be  Vox  Dei ;  but  it  must  be  the 
voice  of  the  whole  people,  the  voice  and  vote  of 
every  man  legally  authorized  to  vote ;  not  merely 
of  those  whom  lust  of  office  and  selfish  hope  of 
gain  stimulates  to  come  forward. 

The  measures  of  Gerry  aroused   the   people  of 
Massachusetts,  and  the  election  in  1812  resulted 
to  Dr.  Warren's  great  satisfaction  in  the  choice  of 
Caleb  Strong,  the  Federal  candidate.     Mr.  Strong 
is  said  to  have  been  a  man  "  of  clear,  vigorous  -un- 
derstanding, and  an  excellent  judgment,  an  accom- 
plished scholar,  jurist,  and  statesman."     He  distin- 
guished himself  by  his  wisdom,  uprightness,  pa- 


LIFE -OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  .[AGE  57. 

triotism,  and  fidelity,  and  was  equally  eminent  in 
private  life  for  his  social  virtues,  benevolence,  and 
piety.  He  was  reflected  to  office  so  long  as  he 
was  willing  to  remain. 

An  account  of  the  establishment  of  the  medical 
school  has  already  been  given. 

There  were  great  difficulties  to  contend  with. 
Besides  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  subjects  for  dis- 
section, was  the  remoteness  of  the  situation  in 
which  the  lectures  were  delivered.  Two  of  the 
professors  were  young  men,  resident  in  Boston, 
and  their  salaries  were  not  sufficient  to  support 
them  in  Cambridge.  They  depended  principally 
upon  their  professional  practice  for  support.  The 
lectures  were  delivered  in  winter,  apd  as  there 
was  then,  no  bridge,  the  only  access  to  .the  Colleges 
was  by  a  circuitous  route  of  eight  miles,  through 
Roxbury  and  Brookline,  or  over  Charlestown 
Ferry,  by  a  passage  frequently  rendered  long  and 
tedious  by  obstructions  from  ice  and  other  matters, 
which  sometimes  retarded  for  hours  their  arrival 
at  the  college.  Their  duties  were  performed  at 
great  hazard  to  their  health,  and  considerable  sac- 
rifice of  private  business.  The  first  medical  de- 
grees were  conferred  in  1783,  in  accordance  with 
the  regulations  adopted,  which  were  nearly  the 
same  as  those  in  Philadelphia. 

Forty-eight  young  men  were  graduated  as  Bach- 
elors of  Medicine  in  1810.  .A  valuable  library,  con- 
taining many  rare  and  valuable  books,  with  costly 
plates,  was  given  by  Ward  Nicholas  Boylston,  Esq., 
who  also  obtained  for  the  college  a  handsome  col- 


1810.]  PROGRESS    OF   THE   MEDICAL   SCHOOL.  437 

lection  of  anatomical  preparations.  General  Derby, 
Mr.  Erving,  and  others  made  large  appropriations 
for  the  support  of  the  school. 

On  the  2 7th. of  April,  1808,  Dr.  Warren  re- 
quested  the  corporation  and  oveerseers  to  elect  an 
adjunct  professor ;  and  Dr.  John  C.  Warren  was 
accordingly  elected  and  inducted  into  office,  in 
the  same  manner  and  with  the  same  duties  as  the 
principal  professor.  Dr.  John  Gorham  was  ap- 
pointed Adjunct  Professor  of  Chemistry  and  Ma- 
teria  Medica. 

The  great  inconveniences  and  disadvantages  un- 
der which  the  Medical  School  labored,  and  the  want 
of  clinical  instruction,  led  to  the  presentation  of  a 
memorial  to  the  corporation  requesting  the  exten- 
sion of  the  lectures  to  Boston.  This  w|is  signed 
and  urged  by  the  professors  resident  in  Boston, 
but  was  strongly  opposed  by  the  one  resident  in 
Cambridge. 

Application  was  also  made  to  the  Overseers  of 
the  Poor  for  liberty  to  use  the  Hospital  depart- 
ment of  the  Almshouse  for  clinical  visits  and  lec- 
tures ;  but  this  for  the  time  was  refused. 

On  the  13th  of  April,  1810,  a  vote  was  passed 
and  confirmed  by  the  corporation  and  overseers, 
deciding  that  the  Professors  of  Anatomy  and  Sur- 
gery, and  Professors  of  Chemistry  might  annually 
deliver  in  Boston  full  courses  of  lectures  to  medi- 
cal students,  who  should  have  the  same  privileges 
as  if  they  had  attended  at  Cambridge. 

The  Massachusetts  Medical  Society  approved  the 
arguments  in  favor  of  delivering  the  lectures  in 


438  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  57. 

the  town  of  Boston,  and  passed  a  vote  approving 
the  course  of  those  professors  who  had  already 
lectured  the  preceding  winter  in  Boston,  and  of 
encouragement  and  approbation  of  a  continuance 
of  the  courses  in  future.  On  the  26th  of  July, 
1810,  Dr.  James  Jackson  was  elected  Professor 
of  Clinical  Medicine,  and  permission  was  obtained 
July  25th,  for  clinical  instruction  at  the  Alms- 
house,  the  professors  agreeing  to  take  charge  of 
the  sick  without  salary. 

A  convenient  and  spacious  theatre  with  the 
necessary  apartments,  was  erected  by  the  anatomi- 
cal professors,  and  the  lectures  opened  on  the  first 
day  of  December,  1810,  at  No.  14  Marlborough 
Street,  under  the  same  roof  with  the  hall  and  library 
of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society.  The  profess- 
ors soon  found  means  for  the  erection  of  a  building 
in  Mason 'Street,  specially  devoted  to  all  branches 
of  the  lectures.  Dr.  Warren  did  not  live  to  see  this 
completed  and  occupied.  The  exterior  was  finished, 
and  the  workmen  were  upon  the  interior  theatre 
and  lecture-rooms  when  he  died,  in  1815.  The  an- 
atomical and  morbid  preparations  which  had  for- 
merly at  times  adorned  his  windows  in  School 
Street,  formed  the  nucleus  of  a  valuable  collection 
o,f  morbid  anatomy,  which  filled  one  of  the  rooms  in 
the  college  in  Mason  Street,  and  afterwards  became 
the  foundation  of  the  WARREN  MUSEUM  in  the  new 
medical  college  in  North  Grove  Street,  now  contain- 
ing three  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty -six  speci- 
mens, of  which  a  catalogue  has  been  prepared  and 
printed  by  Dr.  J.  B.  S.  Jackson. 


1810.]  PROGRESS    OF   THE    MEDICAL    SCHOOL.  439 

Lectures  were  delivered  for  a  number  of  years 
in  this  building,  until  the  erection  of  the  one  just 
referred  to  in  North  Grove  Street.  The  plan  of 
study  and  the  requisites  for  graduation  were  con- 
tinued the  same  until  the  year  1871,  when  a  radi- 
cal change  was  instituted,  constituting  a  very 
strict  course  of  study  and  a  series  of  very  partic- 
ular examinations.1 

1  Taken  from  a  history  of  the  institution,  prepared  by  Dr.  John 
Warren. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

1810-1812. 
RELIGIOUS  VIEWS. 

Death  of  Rev.  J.  S.  Buckminster.  —  Bishop  Cheverus.  —  Instance  of 
Impulsiveness.  —  Almost  a  Duel.  —  A  Medical  Incident.  —  A  Ro- 
mance. —  Spontaneous  Generation.  — Perpetual  Motion. 

Tuesday,  June  llth,  1812,  died  Rev.  J.  S. 
Buckminster.  He  was  Dr.  Warren's  pastor  and 
intimate  friend,  a  member  of  his  club,  and  bound 
by  the  tie  of  physician  and  patient,  which  in  those 
days  was  a  very  strong  one. 

It  need  not  be  said  that  his  death  was  a  cause  of 
the  greatest  sorrow  to  my  father,  both  for  his  own 
loss  and  that  of  the  community.  There  was  no 
man  more  esteemed  by  him  personally,  and  I  well 
remember  how  much  he  admired  his  preaching. 
In  fact,  no  one  who  ever  heard  Mr.  Buckminster, 
can  forget  the  influence  of  his  persuasive  smile,  if 
they  did  the  convincing  eloquence  of  his  words. 

One  sermon  my  father  was  particularly  pleased 
with.  According  to  his  account,  it  held  the  con- 
gregation in  rapt  attention  more  remarkable  than 
usual.  It  was  on  the  value  of  time,  —  a  subject 
deeply  felt  by  Dr.  Warren.  I  have  never  seen  this 
sermon  in  print.  Looking  at  the  clock  opposite, 
he  noted  the  passage  of  the  minute  hand  and  the 


1811-1  DEATH    OF   MR.    BUCKMINSTER.  441 

lapse  of  minutes.  "  And  now,"  he  said,  "  another 
five  minutes  has  gone  forever  "  —  and  so  he  went 
on.  Dr.  Warren's  favorite  hymn  was  the  one  be- 
ginning :  — 

"  God  of  eternity !     From  thee 

Did  infant  time  its  being  draw. 
Moments  and  days,  and  months  and  years, 
Revolve  by  thine  unvaried  law." 

It  is  well  known  that  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Buck- 
minster's  ordination,  the  Unitarian  controversy 
had  not  begun.  The  churches  of  Boston  and  vicin- 
ity had  undergone  a  gradual  change ;  their  views 
had  become  liberalized,  and  the  old  doctrines  of  fu- 
ture and  everlasting  punishment,  election,  original 
sin,  etc.,  had  gradually  dropped  out  of  their  faith, 
without  their  knowing  it. 

I  suppose  that  a  majority  of  those  who  belonged 
to  the  society  at  the  time  of  Mr.  Buckminster's  re- 
tirement believed,  or  thought  they  believed,  in  the 
Trinity,  the  Atonement,  and  other  Calvinistic  doc- 
trines, as  long  as  they  lived.  Mr.  Buckminster  had 
worked  out  his  faith  in  opposition  to  his  feelings. 
Though  desirous  on  his  father's  account  to  hold 
doctrines  considered  orthodox,  his  convictions  did 
not  permit  him  to  do  so ;  but  without  disguising 
his  sentiments,  he  did  not  feel  called  upon  to  dis- 
turb the  faith  of  his  parishioners  ;  being  contented 
to  give  his  views  when  called  upon ;  and  these 
views  being  actually  in  a  transition  state,  his  efforts 
were  to  lead  men  to  virtue  and  holiness,  without 
dwelling  upon  disputed  points  of  doctrine.  These 
he  did  not  consider  of  importance,  except  as  far  as 


442  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

they  led  to  the  great  end  —  the  promotion  of  Chris- 
tian excellence. 

"  I  conceive  it  to  be  my  first  duty,"  he  says, 
"  to  recommend  holiness  by  motives  which  I  could 
honestly  urge,  and  leave  my  opinions  on  disputed 
points  to  the  private  inquiries  of  my  hearers." 

Judge  Thacher  says  of  Mr.  Buckminster,  "  I 
cannot  attempt  to  describe  the  wonder  and  delight 
with  which  his  first  sermons  were  listened  to  by 
all  classes  of  hearers.  The  most  refined  and  the 
most  cultivated  equally  hung  upon  him.  The  at- 
tention of  the  thoughtless  was  fixed.  The  gayety 
of  youth  was  composed  to  seriousness.  The  ma- 
ture, the  aged,  the  -most  vigorous  and  enlarged 
minds  were  at  once  charmed,  instructed,  and  im- 
proved." 

The  deepest  sorrow  for  the  loss  of  Mr.  Buckmin- 
ster was  universally  felt.  His  death  was  signalled 
by  the  tolling  of  all  the  bells.  Brattle  Street 
Church  was  draped  in  black,  and  badges  of  mourn- 
ing were  worn  by  the  congregation. 

Mr.  Buckminster  was  a  member  of  my  father's 
club,  which  met  regularly  at  each  other's  houses 
for  social  purposes.  Their  entertainment  was  very 
simple.  A  table  was  set  before  their  arrival  with 
nuts,  raisins,  figs,  etc.  Wine  was  not  forbidden, 
and  a  china  pitcher  of  hot  punch  did  its  duty. 
My  mother  prided  herself  upon  her  punch,  into 
which  she  put  a  few  leaves  of  green  tea,  and  it 
was  greatly  approved  by  those  who  tasted  it. 
They  were,  however,  all  perfectly  temperate  men. 
They  approved  of  the  use  of  wine  for  social  pur- 


1811.]  RELIGIOUS   VIEWS.  443 

poses,  but  they  did  not  'abuse  it.  J  do  not  think 
that  there  was  as  much  drunkenness  in  those  days 
as  at  a  subsequent  period,  perhaps  twenty  or  thirty 
years  later.  There  was  not  the  same  need  of  re- 
form. 

Perhaps  I  may  introduce,  in  this  connection,  my 
father's  religious  views,  if  -they  have  not  already 
sufficiently  appeared.  He  loved  the  Scriptures,  and 
if  he  in  anywise  doubted  their  verbal  inspiration,  he 
did  not  think  it  necessary  to  express  it.  He  re- 
ceived them  as  the  word  of  God.  In  the  Old  Tes- 
tament and  the  history  of  Jacob  and  his  family,  he 
particularly  delighted  —  almost  identifying  himself 
with  that  patriarch.  Yet  I  know  that  he  investi- 
gated the  writings  of  different  sectarians,  and 
formed  his  convictions  upon  study  and  research. 
He  read  family  prayers  in  the  morning,  using  the 
"  Book  of  Common  Prayer,"  and  had  a  reading  of 
the  Bible  after  church  upon  Sunday  afternoon.  The 
members  of  the  family  were  questioned  as  to  the 
text.  The  rigid  observance  of  the  Sabbath  was  en- 
forced, and  yet  I  do  not  recollect  it  as  at  all  a  dull 
day.  He  was  more  with  his  family,  and  his  genial 
disposition  made  the  day  pass  pleasantly. 

Every  member  of  the  family  went  to  church 
twice  a  day ;  attendance,  however,  was  not  com- 
pulsory. I  recollect  that  one  afternoon  I  took  a 
fancy  to  stay  at  home.  My  father  mildly  urged 
me  to  go  with  him,  and  continued  his  endeavors 
to  persuade  me.  I  did  not  yield  at  the  time  ;  but 
ever  after,  I  went  to  both  services  of  my  own  ac- 
cord. 


444  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

My  mother,  educated  a*  Quaker,  left  that  society 
by  marrying  out  of  the  church,  though  she  always 
retained  a  respect  for  its  members.  She  joined 
with  my  father  in  respect  and  love  for  the  Scrip- 
tures, but  she  did  not  think  it  necessary  to  give 
her  allegiance  to  any  sectarian  doctrines.  A  let- 
ter to  Mr.  Buckminster  describes  her  views.  It 
shows  how  much  she  had  reflected  upon  the  sub- 
ject, and  also  the-  teaching  which  she  gave  her 
children.  It  may  be  stated  that  whenever  she 
heard  Calvinistic,  Trinitarian,  or  other  sectarian 
views  argued  against,  she  always  took  their  side, 
endeavoring  to  argue  from  their  point  of  view. 

"  I  am  fearful  I  gave  you  an  impression  of  my 
sentiments  yesterday  which  I  did  not  mean  to  con- 
vey ;  but  my  mind  was  full  and  embarrassed,  and 
my  feelings  too  much  alive  to  express  myself  as  I 
wished.  I  merely  meant  to  say  I  have  some 
doubts,  which  it  is  probable  might  occur  to  any 
reflective  mind,  upon  a  subject  upon  which  it  has 
had  little  opportunity  of  being  enlightened,  and 
the  less  perhaps  from  a  fear  of  communicating  them. 

"  But  be  assured  the  influence  of  these  doubts 
have  not  extended  to  my  children.  They  have  a 
full  and  perfect  belief  in  the  "Christian  religion  and 
its  divine  origin,  and  I  have  never  doubted  its  be- 
ing the  most  pure  and  perfect  system  of  morality 
that  ever  was  framed  for  man,  and  have  endeav- 
ored so  far  as  the  imperfection  of  human  nature 
would  admit,  to  conform  my  life  to  its  precepts. 


isii-1  MRS.  WARREN'S  LETTER  TO  MR.  BUCKMINSTER.  445 

"  Your  time,  I  know,  is  much  occupied,  but  when 
you  have  an  hour  unappropriated,  if  you  will  do 
me  the  favor  to  call,  you  will  find  that  at  least  I 
have  a  mind  open  to  conviction,  if  my  opinions 
do  not  exactly  accord  with  yours." 

Mrs.  Warren  was  a  great  reader,  but  she  used 
to  say  that  the  only  book  of  any  real  value  was 
the  Bible ;  all  other  books  might  be  dispensed 
with  without  loss.  Neither  of  them  became  mem- 
bers of  the  church.  My  father  in  a  conversation 
upon  the  •  subject  with  his  eldest  daughter,  ex- 
pressed his  anxiety  upon  this  subject,  and  regretted 
that  his  constant  engagements  and  liability  to  in- 
terruption, prevented  absolutely  his  regular  attend- 
ance upon  the  ordinance,  and  he  thought  it  best 
not  to  become  a  member,  as  unless  his  attendance 
could  be  regular,  the  effect  of  his  example  might 
be  evil.  Communion  was  held  in  Brattle  Church 
as  it  is  now  in  most  of  the  Boston  churches,  di- 
rectly after  the  morning  service,  on  the  first  Sun- 
day of  every  month.  In  the  afternoon  he  was 
free,  and  with  very  few  exceptions  was  always  in 
his  seat  at  the  foot  of  his  pew.  This  pew  was  in 
the  middle  of  the  side  aisle  facing  the  side  door  of 
the  church,  which  was  afterwards  built  up,  when 
the  portico  was  taken  off  by  order  of  Mr.  Quincy, 
then  Mayor,  to  widen  Brattle  Street.  Occasionally 
Cuff's  black  head  was  popped  in  at  this  door  when 
there  was  some  call  which  could  not  be  postponed. 
In  general,  however,  Cuff  attended  church,  and  sat 
in  a  rough  upper  gallery  opposite  the  pulpit  and 


446  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AcE  58. 

close  to  the  ceiling,  where  he  must  have  had  sharp 
ears  if  he  heard  the  minister.  Such  was  the  pro- 
vision made  in  those  days  for  black  servants.  Mrs. 
Warren  attended  the  morning  service  with  the 
same  constancy,  when  the  rapid  increase  of  her 
family  permitted. 

Notwithstanding,  however,  my  father's  strict 
views  as  to  the  observance  of  the  Sabbath,  Sunday 
was  never  regarded  as  a  gloomy  day  by  the  family. 
It  was  looked  forward  to  as  a  day  of  cheerful  re- 
laxation and  rest. 

Next,  I  think,  in  estimation  to  Mr.  Buckminster, 
in  my  father's  mind,  was  the  Catholic  Bishop,  Chev- 
erus.  He  always  spoke  of  him  in  the  highest 
terms,  and  they  were  naturally  brought  much  to- 
gether in  their  separate  vocations. 

A  note  from  Bishop  Cheverus  will  show  some- 
what the  nature  of  their  connection. 

"BOSTON,  June  8,  1807. 

"  HONORED  SIR,  —  I  take  the  liberty  to  send  to 

you  the  bearer  of  this, ,  a  shoemaker  by  trade. 

He  has  been  addicted  to  drunkenness  for  these  sev- 
eral years  past,  and  was  often  frantic  when  in 
liquor. 

"  He  is  now  sober,  but  appears  to  be  disordered 
in  his  mind,  sees  phantoms,  etc.,  and  has  disturbed 
for  two  nights  the  people  where  he  lives.  He 
promises  me  he  will  follow  your  advice,  and  is  able 
to  pay  for  medicines,  etc.  I  have  at  times  pre- 
vailed upon  him  to  keep  sober,  but  never  for  a  long 
period. 


leu.]  A  BIOGRAPHER'S  DUTY.  447 

"  As  he  stutters  very  much,  I  have  thought  it* 
necessary  to  give  you  this  short  account  of  him. 

"With  the  greatest  respect,  I  remain,  honored 
sir,  your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

"JoHN  CHEVERUS." 

It  is  said  the  best  of  men  have  their  errors. 
There  is  little  use  in  biography  if  it  is  to  consist 
altogether  of  eulogium.  If  the  writer,  because 
a  near  relative,  is  to  be  debarred  from  all  expres- 
sion of  opinion,  from  exhibiting  lofty  traits  of  char- 
acter from  fear  of  partiality,  or  from  alluding  to 
errors  from  fear  of  violating  the  duties  of  relation- 
ship, he  is  reduced  to  giving  the  mere  model  of  a 
man  without  his  individuality. 

The  biographer  should  divest  himself  as  far  as 
possible  of  the  ties  of  kindred,  and  contemplate 
his  hero  from  the  same  points  of  view  as  a  stran- 
ger, displaying  only  the  natural  interest  and 
warmth  which  every  writer  must  feel  in  the  ob- 
ject of  his  narrative,  and  without  which  it  must 
be  cold  and  insipid.  Some  novelists  and  some  bi- 
ographers have  chosen  models  which  seem  to  be 
set  up  for  them  to  pelt  with  mud  and  censure. 
Their  narratives,  written  with  an  apparent  feeling 
of  dislike  and  disgust  towards  their  hero,  are  either 
cold  and  uninteresting,  or  disagreeable  and  repul- 
sive. 

I  have  said  that  my  father  was  exceedingly  im- 
pulsive. He  has  often  been  said  to  be  a  self 
formed  man.  In  some  sense  this  was  true,  but,  like 
other  men,  he  was  formed  by  circumstances. 


448  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WAEREN.  [AGE  58. 

From  an  early  period  he  was  drawn  out  of  him- 
self, as  it  were.  The  early  death  of  his  father,  al- 
most under  his  own  eye,  gave  his  mind  a  serious 
turn,  and  threw  upon  him  the  necessity  of  exer- 
tion for  support;  while  at  a  later  period,  his 
mother's  bereavement  in  the  loss  of  her  eldest  son, 
on  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  called  out  the  warmth 
of  his  feelings  and  his  energies. 

On  his  entrance  into  college,  the  love  he  ac- 
quired for  anatomy  led  him  forward.  The  realities 
of  life  were  early  felt  by  him.  He  was  obliged  to 
exert  himself  for  his  support  in  college,  and  during 
his  medical  studies.  Through  all  this  course  he 
was  drawn  out  of  himself  by  other  interests. 

His  early  attachment  also  and  early  marriage, 
the  rapidly  increasing  demands  upon  his  affections, 
and  exertions  resulting  from  it,  had  a  similar  effect. 
Next  to  firm  principles  of  action  early  instilled, 
and  become  instinctive,  he  was  guided  by  his  af- 
fections. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  1775,  all  the  strongest 
feelings  of  his  soul  were  roused  into  action  ;  and  I 
may  say  that  from  that  day  to  the  day  of  his  death, 
there  was  an  incessant  demand  upon  his  sympa- 
thies and  his  exertions.  He  had  no  time,  if  he 
had  possessed  the  disposition  for  self  concentration. 
Circumstances  never  permitted  him  to  sink  into  an 
impassive  state,  or  to  form  fixed  rules  of  action. 
It  is  said  that  his  most  prominent  characteristic 
was  disinterestedness,  entire  forgetfulness  of  self. 
Feeling  the  sufferings  of  others  even  more  keenly 
than  they  did  themselves,  he  entirely  forgot  his 
own  peril  or  suffering. 


1811-1  LOVE   OF   JUSTICE.  449 

Connected  with  this  trait  was  a  stern  love  of 
justice.  He  would  not  from  fear  of  wounding  his 
own  sensibility  withhold  the  knife  or  the  caustic 
when  surgical  necessity  required,  nor  would  he 
shield  the  criminal  from  deserved  punishment,  be- 
cause it  affected  himself.  I  think  that  like  the 
elder  Brutus,  he  could  have  sat  in  judgment  upon 
one  of  his  sons,  had  the  life  of  the  nation  depended 
upon  it.  His  own  life  he  was  always  ready  to  sac- 
rifice for  his  country. 

He  was  keenly  alive  to  any  sense  of  injustice 
done  to  others  or  even  to  himself,  and  was  some- 
times impulsive  in  resenting  it.  He  was  one  day 
riding  in  a  chaise  with  my  mother  in  Roxbury, 
when  a  truckman  drove  carelessly  against  his  ve- 
hicle. He  remonstrated.  The  truckman  replied  in- 
solently, and  my  father  descended  at  once  to  chas- 
tise him  without  considering  for  a  moment  the 
comparative  difference  in  strength,  or  in  the  weight 
of  his  own  whip  compared  with  that  of  his  adver- 
sary. It  is  needless  to  say  that  he  had  very  much 
the  worst  of  it. 

He  owned  as  part  of  his  paternal  estate,  a  piece 
of  land  on  Walk  Hill.  This  land  was  not  fenced 
in,  and  its  boundaries  were  not  settled.  A  Dr. 

claimed   a  portion  of  this  land,  which  Dr. 

Warren  considered  as  belonging  to  him.  This 
gentleman  was  bitterly  opposed  to  my  father  in 
politics  and  in  medical  affairs.  He  was  one  of 
the  projectors  of  a  rival  college  of  physicians.  I 
heard  an  old  man  describe  an  interview  between 
the  two  upon  the  land,  which  he  witnessed.  When 

29 


450  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

the  discussion  grew  warm,  the  said  Dr. drew 

a  knife,  and  threatened  to  stab  Dr.  Warren.     His 
interference  broke  off  the  interview  for  the  time. 

I  cannot  tell  whether  this  brought  matters  to  a 
crisis  at  once,  or  whether  there  were  any  farther 
interviews.  It  must  be  recollected  that  there  was 
hardly  a  period  of  my  father's  life  from  1783  to 
1815,  when  the  country  was  not  in  a  somewhat 
disturbed  state.  The  state  of  chaos  of  1783  has 
been  fully  described.1  In  such  times,  when  the 
force  of  law  is  .weak,  individuals  must  be  gov- 
erned by  the  laws  of  self-preservation. 

My  father  was,  or  had  been  an  army  officer. 
He  was  unwilling  to  suffer  from  the  annoyance  and 
anxiety  of  going  about  prepared  for  an  assault. 

have  already  said  he  never  kept  weapons  on 
hand,  fearing  the  accidents  to  others  which  we 
joiow  constantly  occur,  and  of  which  he.  had  seen 
so  many. 

His  proceeding  was  singularly  naive  and  straight- 
forward. Meeting  his  son  at  the  lecture  at  Cam- 
bridge, he  asked  him  if  he  had  retained  an  elegant 
pair  of  duelling  pistols,  doubtless  of  the  first  qual- 
ity, which  he  had  received  as  a  present  in  France, 
telling  him  that  he  might  have  occasion  for  their  use. 

Thus  provided,  he  sent  out  his  eldest  pupil,  Mr. 
M.,  to  Dr. ,  with  a  verbal  challenge.  He  him- 
self followed  in  his  sulky  with  the  pistols.  Driv- 
ing fast  as  usual,  and  probably  more  than  usually 
absorbed  in  thought,  the  sulky  was  overturned, 
and  the  pistols  as  well  as  himself  thrown  out  into 
the  road  to  the  great  admiration  of  the  crowd 

1  Page  272. 


1811.]  ALMOST   A   DUEL.  451 

which  speedily  collected.  His  vehicle  was  soon 
set  to  rights,  and  he  drove  speedily  on  to  the  in- 
terview. 

In  the  mean  time  Mr.  M.  had  proceeded  to  the 
place,  and  found  Dr. superintending  or  work- 
ing in  a  field,  with  some  laborers  at  a  little  dis- 
tance. He  explained  his  business,  and  the  Doc- 
tor entered  into  earnest  conversation,  during  which 
he  gradually  receded  towards  the  laborers.  M. 
suspecting  his  object,  shifted  his  ground,  and  eluded 
all  attempts  of  the  other  to  draw  him  towards  his 
men.  Finding  it  impossible  to  get  the  ambassa- 
dor committed  before  witnesses,  the  Doctor  gave 
a  decided  refusal  to  the  challenge.  This  seems 
to  have  been  the  final  result  of  the  controversy. 
The  boundaries  of  the  land  were  not  settled,  nor 
do  I  think  they  ever  have  been ;  but  at  that  pe- 
riod a  man  who  had  declined  a  hostile  encounter, 
was  not  likely  to  pursue  any  open  course  that 
would  draw  attention  to  the  subject. 

A  vast  difference  existed  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago 
from  that  which  now  prevails  in  the  nation.  Dr. 
Warren  was  utterly  opposed  to  the  practice  of 
duelling ;  but  there  were  few  persons  then,  per- 
haps even  now,  of  high  standing  in  society,  who 
would  not  reserve  to  themselves  the  right  of  self- 
defence,  and  allow  that  circumstances  might  occur 
which  would  justify  them  in  the  attempt  to  rid 
themselves  of  a  troublesome  opponent  by  testing 
his  courage,  when  the  law  had  proved  insufficient 
to  protect  him. 

A  successful  duellist  incurred   more   fcdium   in 


452  LIFE   OP   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

those  days,  because  human  life  was  held  more  sa- 
cred, and  murders  were  not  so  common.  Duelling 
has  been  checked  more  by  its  having  been  ren- 
dered ridiculous.  A  censor  of  the  times  might  say 
that  there  was  less  sense  of  honor  than  formerly ; 
that  men,  particularly  in  Congress,  receive  and 
take  quietly,  what  would  formerly  have  been  con- 
sidered deadly  insults. 

The  promptitude  with  which  my  father  followed 
up  his  measures,  was  not  likely  to  encourage  a 
timid  adversary.  It  might  even  appall  a  practised 
duellist.  It  is  highly  probable  Dr.  Warren  antici- 
pated the  result,  and  had  little  fear  of  serious  con- 
sequences, for  those  who  draw  knives  upon  un- 
armed opponents  are  seldom  possessed  of  that  cool 
determination  which  is  not  taken  aback  by  unex- 
pected promptitude  in  the  adversary. 

There  are  few  city  physicians  in  large  practice 
and  of  large  experience  who  have  not  met  with 
incidents  in  private  family  history  which  would 
afford  ample  materials  for  romance.  It  is  probable, 
however,  that  cases  of  the  kind  about  to  be  related 
were  more  common  fifty  or  seventy-five  years  ago 
than  now,  because  the  multitude  of  unprincipled 
quacks,  male  and  female,  are  much  greater  than 
formerly,  and  means  are  constantly  resorted  to,  it 
is  to  be  feared,  either  to  prevent  a  troublesome  in- 
crease of  family,  or  to  avoid  the  exposure  of  shame. 

I  have  heard  a  singular  story  from  Dr.  J.  C. 
Warren :  — 

"  One  very  stormy  evening  there  was  a  loud 
ring  at  the  door,  and  a  young  gentleman  was  intro- 


1811.]  A   MEDICAL   INCIDENT. 

duced,  evidently  in  a  very  perturbed  state  of  mind. 
He  announced  himself  as  a  physician,  and  begged 
Dr.  Warren's  assistance  in  a  case  of  great  urgency. 
Dr.  Warren  immediately  followed  him,  and  entered 
a  carriage  which  was  waiting  at  the  door,  and  they 
were  rapidly  driven  off.  It  was  too  dark  to  see 
what  part  of  the  town  they  were  driven  to ;  but 
on  arriving  at  their  destination  he  entered  a  house 
in  which  he  found  ample  indications  of  wealth  and 
luxury.  He  was  ushered  into  a  bed-chamber  where 
everything  equally  showed  marks  of  elegance  and 
abundant  means. 

"  The  young  physician  in  the  mean  time  had  in- 
formed Dr.  W.  that  he  had  attempted  to  perform 
a  certain  illegal  operation,  but  in  doing  it  had  lost 
his  instrument,  and  all  attempts  to  find  and  with- 
draw it  had  proved  vain. 

"  The  face  of  the  patient  of  course  was  not  visible, 
but  Dr.  Warren  examined,  found  the  instrument 
without  much  difficulty,  and  withdrew  it.  The 
young  medical  attendant  was  greatly  relieved,  and 
accompanied  the  Doctor  home  in  his  carriage,  leav- 
ing him  at  the  door  with  many  expressions  of 
thanks." 

Dr.  Warren  expected  to  receive  in  a  day  or  two 
some  more  substantial  testimony  of  gratitude,  in 
the  shape  of  a  good  large  fee  ;  but  he  never  heard 
again  from  the  patient,  nor,  at  least,  in  regard  to 
this  subject,  from  the  attendant  physician. 

The  following  story  sounds  too  much  like  ro- 
mance to  be  readily  credible,  yet  it  is  perfect 
truth,  and  similar  occurrences  were  not  rare  :  — 


454  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

A  young  lady  of  great  beauty  and  personal  at- 
tractions, came  from  a  neighboring  town  or  State, 
where  she  was  engaged  to  a  young  lawyer  whose 
prospects  were  of  the  most  promising  character,  to 
stay  for  a  time  with  her  cousin  in  Boston,  very 
probably  for  the  acquisition  of  those  accomplish- 
ments which  only  a  large  city  could  furnish.  Her 
cousin's  family  were  quite  wealthy.  My  father 
was  their  family  physician.  After  her  return  home, 
a  letter  came  to  him  from  the  lover,  written  with 
great  eloquence  and  pathos.  It  stated  that  mali- 
cious reports,  unfavorable  to  the  reputation  of  the 
lady  in  question,  had  arisen  in  his  neighborhood. 

He  expresses  most  intense  indignation  against 
the  baseness  of  her  slanderers,  and  implicit  confi- 
dence in  the  excellence  and  truth  of  his  fiancee, 
whom  he  describes  in  glowing  colors.  He  entreats 
her  physician  to  furnish  him  the  means  of  refuting 
these  base  falsehoods.  What  answer  my  father 
made,  I  cannot  say,  but  he  was  unable  to  give  the 
assurances  demanded. 

At  twelve  o'clock  at  night,  a  lady,  the  cousin  of 
the  one  in  question,  brought  to  Dr.  Warren's  office 
a  new  born  female  infant.  He  was  ready  to  re- 
ceive it ;  a  suitable  nurse  was  already  provided. 
Soon  after  it  was  placed  under  the  care  of  my 
father's  agent,  in  the  District  of  Maine,  who  had 
charge  of  his  lands  there ;  the  expense  of  its  sup- 
port being  paid  through  my  father,  as  long  as  he 
lived,  by  the  uncle  of  the  lady  in  whose  family 
she  had  resided. 

After  my  father's  death,  this  resource  seems  to 
have  failed,  and  the  sin  of  the  parents  was  visited 


1811.J  A    ROMANCE.  455 

upon  the  child.  Her  adopted  father  and  mother, 
who  had  given  her  their  name,  finding  payments 
cease,  treated  her  harshly,  and  the  putative  parent, 
in  his  old  age,  was  applied  to  for  assistance,  which 
he  granted,  without,  however,  acknowledging  the 
claim  or  the  relationship,  —  simply  stating  that  the 
interest  he  had  taken  in  the  affair  was  owing  to 
his  regard  to  a  departed  friend. 

The  object  of  this  interest  developed  into  a 
very  respectable  young  woman,  married  a  thriving 
mechanic  or  farmer,  and  at  this  time,  if  living, 
most  probably  is  an  elderly  grandmother. 

After  the  lady's  recovery,  she  went  into  retire- 
ment in  the  country.  Her  lover,  awakened  from  his 
dream,  in  due.  time  became  engaged  again,  made  a 
fortunate  marriage,  and  rose  to  distinction  in  his 
profession.  His  letter,  alluded  to  above,  is  a  per- 
fect model  of  what  such  a  letter  should  be,  evin- 
cing great  ability  as  well  as  honorable  feeling. 

In  this  instance  poetical  justice  was  dealt  out  to 
all  concerned  ;  and  could  the  secrets  of  the  human 
heart  be  oftener  made  manifest,  it  would  be  found 
that  seldom  does  punishment  fail  to  follow,  though 
late,  the  antecedent  fault. 

In  years  gone  by,  cases  similar  to  the  above  were 
not  infrequent  to  prominent  physicians.  Dr.  John 
C.  Warren  stated  that  they  were  almost  of  daily  oc- 
currence. The  family  physician  lent  his  assistance 
partly  from  friendship  and  to  prevent  disgrace, 
partly  from  a  wish  to  prevent  worse  crime.  Emi- 
nent practitioners  were  often  found  to  be  guar- 
dians of  persons  whose  origin  was  unknown. 


456  LIFE    OF  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

If  such  cases  are  less  common  now,  it  is  to  be 
feared  that  it  is  not  from  improved  morality,  but 
from  the  too  facile  resort  to  means  which  every 
physician  knows  are  constantly  resorted  to  even  by 
married  women  of  a  certain  class,  ignorant  of  the 
danger  and  ultimate  injury  they  do  themselves.  A 
milliner  who  bears  a  French  title  may  be  some- 
times resorted  to. 

There  are  certain  questions  in  philosophy  and 
theology,  which  come  up  like  comets  after  the 
lapse  of  years,  take  some  new  form,  and  for  a 
time  excite  universal  attention.  They  have  their 
run,  are  taken  up,  maintained  with  earnestness 
by  numbers,  and  elucidated  with  great  warmth, 
then  are  refuted  by  other  philosophers  or  theolo- 
gians ;  until,  having  lost  their  novelty,  they  sink 
into  oblivion  for  a  generation  or  more. 

Among  the  questions  which  have  excited  great 
attention,  and  is  of  very  frequent  rejuvenescence, 
is  that  of  the  origin  of  the  animal  and  material 
world,  —  a  question  which  has  sometimes  been 
started  from  mere  desire  for  philosophical  specula- 
tion, but  often  from  the  desire  to  do  away  with 
the  current  forms  of  belief,  and  to  prove  the  exis- 
tence of  a  creation  without  a  creator. 

They  succeed  as  well  as  those  eastern  mytholo- 
gists  who  supported  the  earth  on  the  back  of  an 
elephant,  and  the  elephant  upon  a  tortoise,  but 
what  the  tortoise  stood  upon  was  left  to  the  imagi- 
nation. 

The  system  of  Lord  Monboddo,  who  originated 
the  idea  that  the  human^race  were  originally  mon- 


1811.]  SPONTANEOUS    GENERATION.  457 

keys,  is  only  a  coarser  form  of  that  revived  by 
Darwin,  and  brought  into  new  life  and  beauty  by 
the  French  naturalist,  Geoffrey  St.  Hilaire,  who  suc- 
ceeded Cuvier. 

Erasmus  Darwin,  in  1793,  the  author  of  the 
"  Loves  of  the  Plants,"  thought  that  "  all  animated 
nature,  as  men,  beasts,  and  vegetables,  takes  its 
origin  from  single  living  filaments,  susceptible  of 
irritation,  which  is  the  agent  which  sets  them  in 
motion." 

The  modern  theory  is,  that  in  the  simplest  form 
of  existence  the  animal  or  animalcule  is  without 
limbs  or  organs,  the  necessity  for  which  produces 
their  development  in  successive  generations.  The 
trunk  of  the  elephant  owes  its  origin  and  devel- 
opment to  his  living  among  high  trees,  and  being 
obliged  to  seize  the  limbs  with  his  trunk  ;  the  neck 
of  the  camelopard,  to  the  necessity  of  reaching  up 
to  browse.  The  continued  effort  through  a  course 
of  generations  produced  the  effect. 

It  was  while  the  theory  of  spontaneous  genera- 
tion was  under  popular  discussion  that  my  father 
one  morning  received  from  a  gentleman,  who  was 
one  of  his  patients,  a  box  containing  some  singular 
and  mysterious  creatures,  which  he  supposed  to 
have  generated  during  the  night  in  some  remark- 
able manner,  either  in  a  sore  in  his  knee,  or  in  the 
poultice  which  had  been  applied  to  it.  This  gen- 
tleman was  a  believer  in  spontaneous  generation, 
and  sent  the  specimens  in  hope  of  overcoming  the 
skepticism  of  my  father.  The  microscope  was  not 
then  in  use,  but  Dr.  Warren  had  no  difficulty  in 


458  LIFE   OF   DE.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  58. 

ascertaining  that  the  beings  in  question  were  young 
mice.  The  Doctor  had  visited  the  gentleman  the 
evening  before,  and  prescribed  an  Indian  meal 
poultice  for  his  knee.  Owing  to  haste  or  inadver- 
tency, a  nest  of  young  mice  was  included  in  the 
poultice. 

Another  question  of  the  time  was  the  invention 
of  perpetual  motion.  Immense  advantages,  it  was 
supposed,  would  accrue  from  this  discovery.  Not 
only  would  a  motive  power  be  supplied  without 
cost,  but  as  there  would  be  nothing  to  accelerate  or 
retard  motion,  that  motion  would  always  be  equal, 
allowing  for  change  of  air,  temperature,  and  other 
external  causes, —  which  it  was  supposed  might  be 
guarded  against,  —  and  hence  a  chronometer  or 
watch  may  be  constructed,  which  would  keep  per- 
fect time. 

Dr.  Warren  was  invited  to  visit  a  mill  or  factory, 
the  proprietor  of  which  claimed  to  have  discovered 
and  applied  the  principle  of  perpetual  motion.  It 
had  attracted  great  attention,  was  the  topic  of 
general  conversation,  and  was  visited  by  great 
numbers  of  people,  most  of  whom,  I  think,  gave 
ready  credence  to  all  that  was  claimed  for  it.  He 
took  his  family  to  visit  the  wonderful  discovery, 
which  was  in  a  building  some  miles  out  of  town. 
A  number  of  rooms  in  the  house  were  filled  with 
machinery,  which  moved  in  perfect  order  and  regu- 
larity. I  forget  what  explanations  were  given  to 
my  father  of  the  motive  power.  I  know  that  he 
received  the  whole  matter  with  a  good  deal  of 
amusement.  It  continued  in  successful  operation 


1811.1  PERPETUAL   MOTION.  459 

only  a  short  time  after  this.  Some  inadvertency 
at  length  led  to  the  discovery  «that  the  motive  power 
was  a  man  in  the  cellar.  His  connection  with  the 
machinery  had  been  ingeniously  concealed.  Natu- 
ral philosophers  explain,  and  perhaps  prove,  that 
the  matter  is  simply  impossible.  It  has  been  at- 
tempted to  accomplish  the  purpose  by  galvanism,  — 
a  bar  of  iron  to  be  alternately  attracted  and  re- 
pelled, so  as  to  continue  in  incessant  motion,  —  but 
no  success  has  been  attained. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

1812. 
WAE    WITH   ENGLAND. 

Affairs  of  John  Henry.  —  Declaration  of  War.  —  Hull's  Expedi- 
tion. —  Hull's  Surrender.  —  Baltimore  Mob.  —  Chesapeake  and 
Shannon. —  Capture  of  the  Guerriere  by  Captain  Hull. 

TpARLY  in  the  year  1812,  Mr.  Madison  made,  a 
-^  communication  to  Congress  which  at  first  pro- 
duced a  startling  effect,  and  has  been  referred  to  in 
after  years  for  the  purpose  of  getting  up  Demo- 
cratic capital  whenever  it  was  necessary  for  polit- 
ical purposes.  It  has  come  down  like  a  gigantic 
shadow,  in  which  people  have  imagined  there  must 
be  some  mysterious  substance,  from  the  very  fact 
of  there  being  nothing  tangible. 

This  was  the  pretended  plot  of  John  Henry, 
who  in  the  dimness  of  the  past  is  supposed  to  have 
intrigued  between  Great  Britain  and  the  leading 
Federalists  of  the  North,  for  a  separation  of  the 
New  England  States,  and  a  union  between  them 
and  Great  Britain.  For  the  information  given  him, 
Madison  paid  this  man  fifty  thousand  pounds  from 
the  secret  service  fund,  probably  believing  that 
the  large  amount  paid  would  give  weight  to  his 
testimony. 

It  proved  that  he  had  indeed  been  sent  to  Bos- 


1812.]  DECLARATION   OF   WAR.  461 

ton  by  Sir  James  Craig,  Governor  of  Canada,  to 
ascertain  the  state  of  affairs  and  the  temper  of  the 
people  toward  Great  Britain.  But  he  failed  to 
show  that  he  had  held  any  communication  with 
the  leading  Federalists,  and  they  all  disavowed  any 
intercourse  with  him.  Henry  sunk  into  oblivion, 
but  the  shade  of  the  Henry  letters,  like  that  of 
the  subsequent  Hartford  Convention,  is  reinvoked 
whenever  it  becomes  desirable  for  a  faction  to 
throw  censure  upon  the  leading  men  of  New  Eng- 
land of  that  period. 

On  the  18th  of  June,  the  bill  was  passed  in  Con- 
gress for  a  declaration  of  war  against  Great  Brit- 
ain. The  reasons  publicly  given  were  :  the  im- 
pressment of  American  seamen,  the  British  doc- 
trine and  system  of  blockade,  and  the  Orders  in 
Council,  which  had  a  very  injurious  effect  upon 
American  commerce. 

When  the  news  of  this  act  reached  Boston, 
meetings  were  held  to  adopt  measures  and  remon- 
strances against  the  war,  and  Dr.  Warren  attended 
and  often  presided  at  these  meetings.  In  his  view 
it  was  not  only  a  wicked  war,  but  in  the  highest 
degree  impolitic,  and  tending  to  involve  the 
country  in  utter  ruin.  We  were  entirely  unpre- 
pared for  war ;  no  army  and  no  navy  to  oppose 
to  the  greatest  and  most  powerful  nation  in  the 
world  ;  hampered,  it  is  true,  by  a  war  with  France, 
but  with  a  navy  greatly  superior  to  that  of  their 
rival;  what  could  be  expected  but  that  if  England 
should  turn  her  strength  against  us,  she  could 
crush  our  feeble  attempt  at  maritime  power  by  a 
single  .blow  ? 


462  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  59. 

The  Eastern  States  were,  in  general,  opposed  to 
the  war.  Ingersoll,  the  historian  of  the  war,  and 
the  ardent  defender  of  it,  says :  "  The  East,  commer- 
cial and  navigating,  for  whose  vindication  the  war 
was  undertaken,  opposed  it,  —  Massachusetts  (then 
including  Maine),  New  Hampshire,  Rhode  Island, 
and  Connecticut,  with  a  large  part  of  New  York, 
and  the  majority  of  New  Jersey.  The  West  and 
South,  with  nothing  but  principles  to  fight  for,  and 
free  from  apparent  danger,  together  with  the  large 
central  States,  Virginia  and  Pennsylvania,  supported 
it.  Vermont,  a  frontier  State,  was  the  only  one  of 
New  England  for  the  war." 

Thus,  according  to  this  earnest  advocate,  we 
have  the  singular  spectacle  of  a  war  urged  on  by 
disinterested  States  for  the  protection  of  those  who 
were  most  strongly  opposed  to  it,  and  who  were 
likely  to  be  the  principal  sufferers.  It  is  to  the 
honor  of  the  clergy  that  they  opposed  the  war  with 
all  their  energies.  "  The  reasoning  faculty  of  the 
country,"  says  Ingersoll,  condemned  the  war. 

It  has  been  customary  since  the  peace  of  1815, 
for  all  parties  to  maintain  that  the  war  was  a  nec- 
essary one ;  that  it  gave  America  importance  in 
the  eyes  of  foreign  nations.  The  sufferings  it  pro- 
duced at  the  time  are  forgotten.  During  the  three 
years'  war,  and  for  ten  years  after,  the  wealthy  suf- 
fered from  the  deprivation  of  all  articles  of  lux- 
ury ;  the  poor  for  clothing ;  our  coast  was  rav- 
aged by  English  vessels,  and  large  numbers  of 
slaves  were  carried  off  from  the  South.  The  im- 
pressment of  seamen  became  the  prominent  cause ; 


i8i2.]  HULL'S  EXPEDITION.  463 

others  were  lost  sight  of,  and  when  the  war  be- 
tween England  and  France  was  terminated  by  the 
battle  of  Waterloo,  American  grievances  ceased  as 
matter  of  course  ;  but  the  matter  of  impressment 
was  left  unsettled  by  the  treaty  of  peace  in  1815. 
The  long  peace  which  followed  this  period  left  the 
country  free  from  all  important  annoyance,  and 
constantly  gaining  in  strength  to  be  ready  to  as- 
sert her  rights  with  louder  voice,  whenever  the 
recurrence  of  war  in  Europe  should  bring  back 
similar  disputes. 

Knowing  the  formidable  power  of  Great  Britain 
upon  the  water,  it  was  thought  that  our  main  ef- 
forts against  her  should  be  made  by  land.  For 
the  conquest  of  Canada,  Gen.  William  Hull,  the 
Governor  of  Michigan,  was  sent  with  a  large  force 
of  volunteers  and  militia,  considered  sufficient  to 
overcome  all  the  force  of  the  British  in  Upper 
Canada.  It  was  supposed  that  the  Provincial  mi- 
litia would  not  fight  the  Americans,  and  that  the 
Indians  were  waiting  to  join  what  should  prove  to 
be  the  strongest  side. 

The  result  of  this  disastrous  expedition  is  well 
known,  but  it  would  be  difficult  to  describe  the 
feelings  with  which  the  news  of  his  unaccountable 
surrender  were  received ;  the  universal  burst  of 
indignation  from  all  parties ;  the  bitter  mortifica- 
tion of  the  administration  party,  and  the  adminis- 
tration itself — who  were  probably  the  louder  in 
their  condemnation  because  they  were  most  to 
blame.  On  the  other  hand,  what  were  the  min- 
gled feelings  of  the  Federalists,  who,  while  they 


464  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  59. 

felt  a  triumph  over  their  opponents,  and  an  incli- 
nation to  rejoice  at  whatever  might  put  a  damper 
upon  the  war,  and  discourage  the  inclination  for 
further  hostilities,  were  still  deeply  mortified  at  the 
humiliation  of  the  American  arms. 

These  feelings  -were  shared  by  my  father  with  all 
the  keenness  to  which  his  excitable  temperament 
induced.  We  have  seen  by  his  speeches  that  he 
was  not  disposed  to  palliate  English  aggressions. 
The  old  feelings  expressed  so  strongly  in  his  Jour- 
nal of  1775, —  those  of  an  officer  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary army,  —  could  not  have  been  entirely  sub- 
dued, and  he  felt  as  keenly  as  any  one  of  the  op- 
posite party  the  disgrace  of  the  American  arms, 
the  humiliation  to  the  haughty,  contemptuous,  and 
aggressive  power  against  which  he  had  been  so 
long  opposed.  He  felt  that  the  war  was  unjust  and 
impolitic.  It  was  giving  aid  to  a  power  whose  ag- 
gressions towards  us  had  been  as  great  or  greater ; 
who  had  been  less  disposed  to  listen  to  our  remon- 
strances, and  whose  leader  was  then  believed  to  be 
the  most  reckless  and  ambitious  monster  the  world 
had  ever  seen ;  one  who  would  never  be  satisfied 
until  the  whole  world  was  under  his  feet,  and  who 
would  then  regret  with  Alexander  that  he  had  no 
more  worlds  to  conquer.  Such  were  the  views  of 
the  Federalists,  seeing  Napoleon  through  English 
glasses.  In  my  father  they  were  magnified  and  in- 
tensified by  his  ardent  temperament. 

Believing  that  Providence  could  not  be  on  our 
side  in  such  a  war,  and  hoping  that  ill  success 
would  show  its  injudiciousness,  and  bring  discredit 


1812.]  HULL'S   SURRENDER.  465 

upon  the  administration,  thus  winning  over  neu- 
trals to  the  side  of  peace,  and  chilling  the  spirit  of 
the  war  party ;  he  endeavored  to  rejoice  at  what 
he  considered  only  just  retribution. 

General  Hull  was  tried  by  court-inartial  and 
found  guilty  of  cowardice  and  neglect  of  duty. 
With  which  sentence,  says  Hildreth,  it  will  not  be 
easy  to  find  fault  if  we  understand  thereby,  "  not 
so  much  fear  of  personal  harm,  as  that  want  of 
nerve  so  absolutely  necessary  in  a  general ;  a  read- 
iness to  risk,  when  necessary,  the  lives  of  others  as 
well  as  his  own."  The  threats  of  the  English  com- 
mander, that  in  case  of  defeat  he  would  not  re- 
strain the  Indians  from  all  sorts  of  atrocities,  un- 
doubtedly had  a  strong  effect  upon  the  mind  of 
the  American  commander.1 

The  next  event  which  made  the  strongest  im- 
pression upon  my  mind,  was  the  Baltimore  Mob.  I 
mention  the  impression  upon  myself,  because  it 
was  the  reflection  of  my  father's  feelings.  It  was 
to  him  a  source  of  horror  and  shame,  not  only  for 
the  outrage  itself,  but  because  it  seemed  to  be  a 
fair  beginning  and  exemplar  for  the  utter  con- 
tempt of  all  law,  order,  and  humanity,  such  as  was 
shown  by  the  Sans-culottes  of  Paris. 

It  was  indeed  a  fair  specimen  of  the  extremes 
to  which  a  mob  can  go  when  they  have  given 

1  He  was  condemned  to  be  shot,  but  the  execution  of  the  sen- 
tence was  remitted  by  the  President.  He  was  a  man  of  amiable 
and  kindly  feeling,  which  his  portrait  indicates,  as  well  as  a  want 
of  firmness.  The  idea  of  abandoning  his  army,  together  with  the 
people  of  the  country,  to  Indian  brutality,  formed  a  picture  too  strong 
for  him  to  encounter. 
30 


466  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  59. 

themselves  up  to  unrestrained  license.  Every 
species  of  brutality  enacted  in  France  was  equalled 
or  surpassed  in  this  American  city,  —  an  indelible 
disgrace  to  that  place  and  to  the  nation. 

In  violation  of  the  most  solemn  promises  of 
good  treatment,  their  prisoners  were  seized  and 
beaten  in  the  most  horrible  manner,  the  mob  stick- 
ing pen-knives  into  their  cheeks,  dropping  candle 
grease  into  their  eyes  to  ascertain  if  they  were 
dead,  etc.  One  of  the  prisoners  was  covered  with 
a  coat  of  tar  and  feathers,  and  when  he  fell  back 
as  if  dead,  they  set  fire  to  the  feathers  by  way  of 
resuscitating  him. 

So  much  has  already  been  said  of  the  extreme 
susceptibility  of  Dr.  Warren  towards  pain  or  suffer- 
ing in  others,  that  it  will  be  readily  understood  how 
strongly  his  feelings  were  roused  upon  this  occasion. 
The  cruelties  inflicted  upon  these  men  he  felt  as 
keenly  as  if  he  had  witnessed  and  shared  them ; 
while  he  thought  perhaps  more  of  the  disgrace  to 
the  country,  and  the  confirmation  it  gave  to  his 
fears,  that  the  horrors  of  the  French  Revolution 
were  to  be  repeated  here. 

These  fears  were  increased  by  the  fact  that  the 
Democratic  papers,  and  the  advocates  of  war 
throughout  the  country,  palliated  and  even  ap- 
proved these  outrages.  They  hoped  to  intimidate 
the  Federal  party.  The  opposite  effect,  however, 
was  produced.  Attempts  at  imitation  in  Norfolk 
and  Buffalo  were  promptly  put  down.  Universal 
indignation  was  excited,  public  meetings  were  held 
everywhere,  to  denounce  these  outrages. 


1813.]  CHESAPEAKE   AND    SHANNON.  467 

The  next  affair  which  produced  great  excitement 
in  Boston  was  that  of  the  Chesapeake  and  the  Shan- 
non. The  latter,  a  British  frigate,  had  appeared 
off  Boston,  and,  it  was  understood,  had  sent  a  chal- 
lenge to  the  commander  of  the  Chesapeake,  which 
was  just  ready  to  go  to  sea.1  It  is  stated  that 
Broke,  the  English  commander,  had  sent  a  letter 
to  Lawrence,  proposing  to  meet  him  in  any  lati- 
tude or  longitude  he  might  name,  but  that  this  let- 
ter had  not  been  received.  Lawrence,  however, 
sailed  out  to  meet  him,  understanding  the  appear- 
ance of  the  frigate  to  be  a  challenge. 

However  this  might  be,  it  was  generally  under- 
stood that  the  Chesapeake  was  to  go  out  to  meet 
the  Shannon  in  consequence  of  a  challenge.  My 
father  sent  me  under  the  charge  of  the  colored  man, 
Cuff,  to  Fort  Hill,  to  witness  the  engagement. 
The  Common,  or  grass  inclosure  there,  was  thronged 
with  people  waiting  to  see  the  encounter. 

How  long  I  remained  there  I  do  not  recollect. 
The  spectators  were  disappointed.  The  Shannon  did 
not  appear,  either  from  the  misunderstanding  above 
inferred,  or  from  fear  of  being  overpowered  if  she 
came  too  near  the  shore.  Lawrence  stood  out  to 
sea  in  search,  and  about  five  o'clock  (June  1st)  came 
up  with  her,  about  thirty  miles  from  Boston  light. 

A  furious  engagement  took  place.  The  bugle- 
man,  a  negro,  was  seized  with  panic,  hid  himself 
in  some  obscure  corner,  and  was  not  to  be  found 
when  Lawrence  gave  the  order  to  board.  The  or- 
der had  to  be  passed  by  word  of  mouth. 

i  Hildreth. 


468  LITE   OF   DR.  -JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

At  this  moment  Lawrence  fell  mortally  wounded  ; 
the  English  commander  gave  the  order  to  board, 
and  found  the  upper  deck  in  confusion,  the  Ameri- 
can boarders  not  having  yet  mustered.  In  a  very 
short  time  they  were  masters  of  the  ship.  The 
Chesapeake  had  forty-eight  killed  and  ninety-eight 
wounded  ;  the  Shannon,  twenty-six  killed  and  fifty- 
eight  wounded.  Captain  Lawrence  died  five  days 
'after.  The  whole  of  this  fierce  action  lasted  but 
eighteen  minutes. 

Such  is  the  account  given  by  history.  But  the 
first  of  June  was  a  terribly  anxious  day.  Multi- 
tudes had  gathered  on  Fort  Hill  and  elsewhere,  and 
waited  till  they  were  tired  out.  My  father  came 
in  frequently  from  his  professional  visits,  to  com- 
pare notes  with  what  had  been  received  at  the 
house.  The  young  men,  the  habitue's  of  the  family, 
came  in  with  rumors  and  speculations.  Nothing 
definite  was  ascertained  that  day.  Both  ships  were 
out  of  sight.  Then  came  rumors  of  disaster.  They 
were  hardly  credited,  for  previous  victories  had 
excited  great  confidence  in  our  ships  of  war.  It 
could  not  be  believed  that,  in  a  naval  duel,  fought 
under  the  eyes  of  then:  friends,  our  ship  could  have 
been  worsted. 

Then  when  the  fact  was  ascertained  of  the  loss 
of  the  ship  and  the  mortal  wound  of  her  com- 
mander, foul  play  was  attributed  to  the  British.  It 
was  said  that  missiles  were  used  to  overpower  or 
intimidate  the  Americans,  which,  though  fair  per- 
haps in  common  naval  war,  was  not  so  against  an 
enemy  challenged  to  a  fair  fight. 


1813.]  THE    CHESAPEAKE   AND    SHANNON.  469 

All  sorts  of  rumors  were  in  circulation  to  account 
for  the  defeat.  The  real  truth  appears  to  have  been 
that  a  portion  of  the  crew  consisted  of  foreign  mer- 
cenaries. The  first  lieutenant  was  sick  on  shore. 
The  officer  next  to  Lawrence  on  board  assisted  his 
wounded  commander  to  the  cockpit.  The  post  of 
two  others  was  filled  by  midshipmen.  Some  dis- 
content existed  among  the  crew,  which,  just  leav- 
ing port,  was  not  likely  to  be  in  the  best  condition 
to  meet  the  enemy.  The  men  were  strangers 
to  their  commander,  and  strangers  to  each  other. 
The  want  of  officers,  the  disappearance  of  the  bu- 
gle-man, caused  the  loss  of  the  favorable  moment  to 
repel  boarders.  Broke  had  seized  the  instant  when 
Lawrence  fell,  and  his  men  were  not  prepared. 

The  Shannon  was  terribly  damaged,  and  is  re- 
ported to  have  been  in  a  sinking  condition,  so  that 
the  commander  was  impelled  by  desperation  to 
board.  A  keg  or  chest  of  powder  was  exploded 
on  deck,  by  a  hand  grenade  thrown  from  the  Shan- 
non, which  added  to  the  consternation  occasioned 
by  the  fall  of  Lawrence. 

I  recollect  complaint  was  made  at  the  time  of 
the  throwing  of  "  stink-pots  "  —  technically  so 
called  —  from  the  Shannon.  This  article  is  der. 
scribed 1  as  "  an  earthen  jar,  charged  with  gre- 
nades, powder,  and  other  materials  of  an  offensive 
and  suffocating  smell,  sometimes  used  in  boarding 
an  enemy's  vessel."  The  explosion  of  these  mis- 
siles, if  they  were  used,  added  to  that  of  the  pow- 
der chest,  increased  the  confusion  on  board  ;  while 
1  Webster. 


470  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

the  absence  of  the  officer  next  in  command,  who 
assisted  his  wounded  commander  to  the  cockpit, 
left  the  deck  without  a  commander  at  the  critical 
moment. 

This  officer  was  tried  before  a  naval  tribunal  for 
various  specifications,  but  convicted  only  of  having 
left  his  post  to  assist  his  commander  to  the  cock- 
pit. He  was  cashiered,  with  perpetual  inability  to 
serve  in  the  United  States  navy. 

It  was  necessary  to  have  a  victim,  and  Ingersoll 
remarks  that  if  he  had  been  capitally  convicted  and 
executed,  it  might  have  had  the  same  good  effect 
on  our  navy  that  the  execution  of  Byng  had  upon 
the  English.  The  same  court  made  no  complaint 
against  the  English,  but  that  of  firing  upon  our  men 
after  they  had  retreated  below. 

On  the  whole,  this  disaster  is  said  to  have  had 
a  favorable  effect  upon  our  navy,  for  previous  tri- 
umphs had  rendered  the  commanders  rash.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  English  were  not  so  far  en- 
couraged as  to  be  very  ready  to  engage  our  ships 
with  an  equal  force,  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war. 

I  do  not  know  whether  the  present  generation 
have  any  recollection  or  knowledge  of  the  damper 
which  that  disaster  cast  upon  the  minds  of  the  men 
of  the  time.  It  was  no  feeling  of  discouragement, 
but  of  regret  for  the  British  triumph,  and  sorrow 
for  the  loss  of  a  gallant  commander.  To  my  father 
and  his  friends  it  seemed  like  a  judgment  of  Provi- 
dence, —  a  sign  in  the  heavens  of  coming  woe,  — 
an  encouragement  to  the  ravage  of  our  coasts. 


1813.]  BOSTON   MEDICAL   ASSOCIATION.  471 

The  victory  was  celebrated  in  England  by  the 
most  extravagant  rejoicings,  conclusively  showing 
how  great  had  been  the  fears  and  mortification 
which  our  previous  naval  victories  had  excited. 

Almost  at  the  same  time  with  the  news  of  the 
disgraceful  surrender  of  General  Hull,  came  the 
tidings  of  the  naval  victory  of  his  namesake,  Cap- 
tain Isaac  Hull,  who  had  already  distinguished  him- 
self for  his  gallant  escape  from  the  midst  of  the 
British  squadron.  Commanding  the  Constitution,  he 
captured  the  British  frigate,  Guerri&re,  on  the  19th 
of  August,  after  a  combat  of  two  hours,  thirty  min- 
utes' hard  fighting.  The  British  frigate  was  so 
'  much  damaged  it  was  thought  expedient  to  destroy 
her.  It  was  set  on  fire  and  blown  up.  Captain 
Hull  returned  with  his  prisoners  to  Boston,  and 
was  received  with  great  rejoicing. 

Some  notice  might  have  been  given  in  its  place 
of  the  Boston  Medical  Association,  which  suc- 
ceeded the  "  Boston  Medical  Society,"  in  conse- 
quence of  the  important  part  which  Dr.  John 
Warren  took  in  its  formation. 

Dr.  Warren,  Dr.  Hayward,  and  Dr.  Fleet  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  propose  a  code  of  med- 
ical police.  They  reported  the  following  year,  and 
their  report  was  adopted  on  the  first  of  May,  1808. 

"  The  Report  bears  the  strong  impress  of  the 
physician  whose  name  is  at  the  head  of  the  com- 
mittee, by  whom  the  preamble  was  undoubtedly 
written.  The  code  has  formed  the  basis  of  med- 
ical conduct  in  Boston  for  sixty  years  past,  has 


47-5  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  60. 

been  cheerfully  adhered  to  by  the  whole  medical 
fraternity,  and  has  regulated  the  conduct  of  its 
members  towards  each  other  and  towards  their  pa- 
tients. 

"  To  the  observance  of  tjiis  code,  the  profession 
are  indebted  for  the  great  harmony  which  has  pre- 
vailed among  them,  and  indeed,  throughout  the 
State,  for  it  has  shed  its  influence  over  the  Med- 
ical Society  of  Massachusetts."  l 

1  Life  of  John  C.  Warren,  vol.  i.  p.  88. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

1813. 

TREATISE   ON   MERCURIAL   PRACTICE. 

Diseases  of  New  England.  —  Angina  Maligna. —  Diphtheria.  —  Small- 
pox. —  Measles.  —  Throat  Distemper.  —  Consumption.  —  Dysen- 
tery. —  Spotted  Fever.  —  Spinal  Meningitis. 

TN  the  year  1805,  Dr.  Warren  delivered  a  dis- 
course before  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society, 
which  he  afterwards  published  in  1813,  under  the 
title  of  •"  A  View  of  the  Mercurial  Practice  in  Fe- 
brile Diseases." 

It  was  prepared  with  great  labor  and  research, 
and  a  great  deal  of  labor  was  again  bestowed  upon 
it  amidst  all  his  other  occupations,  and  in  feeble 
health,  while  it  was  going  through  the  press.  It 
forms  a  small  volume,  but  is  valuable  for  the  clear 
views  which  are  given  upon  the  use  of  a  medicine 
of  so  great  power,  and  whose  action  is  generally  so 
much  misunderstood ;  and  against  which  so  many 
prejudices  have  always  existed.,  % 

In  the  first  part,  he  proposes  to  give  a  short  ac- 
count of  the  introduction  of  mercury  into  use  in 
New  England,  and  other  parts  of  the  United  States, 
and  at  length  in  Europe  and  the  "West  Indies. 

"The  early  opinions  advanced  with  respect  to 
its  merits  in  general,  the  diseases  which  gave  oc- 
casion to  its  adoption,  and  the  analogies  on  which 


474  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

it  was  founded,  particularly  in  America,  and  the 
strong  prejudices  entertained  by  many  against  it, 
will  be  particularly  noticed." 

"  An  examination  of  some  of  the  preparations 
of  this  medicine  will  be  necessary  for  explaining 
their  effects  on  the  body,  and  the  different  degrees 
of  activity  which  they  possess,  and  consequently 
the  several  theories  founded  upon  them. 

"  It  may  perhaps  be  made  to  appear  that  these 
medicines  act  in  the  first  place  as  powerful  stimu- 
lants upon  the  body ;  in  a  manner  revolutionizing 
the  whole  system,  changing  the  existing  order  and 
modes  of  action  in  the  organs ;  and  in  the  second 
place,  that  they  may  furnish  some  portion  of  their 
constituent  parts  to  the  blood  in  the  blood-vessels, 
which  must  be  highly  stimulated  by  them,  and 
thus  be  enabled  to  expel  or  correct  the  morbid 
matter,  if  any  such  exist,  and  bring  about  an  en- 
tire change  of  action. 

"  In  most  cases,  a  quantity  of  the  medicine 
merely  sufficient  to  evince  its  action  on  the  mouth, 
is  competent  to  a  cure,  yet  in  some  cases  it  is  not 
to  be  accomplished  without  full  salivation. 
.  "  This  being  effected,  it  is  evident  that  a  more 
complete  subversion  of  the  present  train  of  actions 
is  brought  about,  as  a  new  disease  may  be  said  to 
be  induced. 

"  Such  disease,  on  Mr.  Hunter's  principle,  that 
two  general  disorders  cannot  hold  dominion  in  the 
body  at  the  same  time,  may  be  called  the  artificial 
disease,  and  may  be  substituted  for  the  original, 
which  is  subdued  or  cured. 


1813.]  MERCURIAL   PRACTICE.  475 

"  Before  presuming  thus  to  create  a  new  disease, 
the  nature  of  it  should  be  well  understood,  and 
the  method  of  removing  it  should  be  under  com- 
plete command."  .... 

"  Sensible  of  the  extreme  difficulty  of  establish- 
ing any  rational  theory  of  the  modus  operandi  of 
mercury,  I  offer  these  suggestions  with  great  diffi- 
dence, far  from  being  ambitious  of  originality  on 
the  one  hand,  and  very  little  studious,  on  the 
other,  of  conforming  them  to  any  system  what- 
ever. Such  considerations  as  have  occurred  either 
from  observation  or  experience,  whether  of  others 
or  myself,  are  here  presented. 

"  Indeed  the  whole  treatise  was  designed  not  so 
much  for  the  purpose  of  exhibiting  anything  new 
to  the  observation  of  the  physician,  as  to  present 
in  one  view  a  summary  of  facts,  from  which  he 
may  draw  his  own  conclusions." 

It  may  be  observed  that  in  the  above  quotation 
Dr.  Warren  alludes  to  the  same  principle,  founded 
upon  the  axiom  of  John  Hunter,  "  that  no  two  dis- 
eases can  hold  dominion  in  the  body  at  the  same 
time,"  in  regard  to  mercury,  that  Hahnneman  af- 
terwards proved  from  the  action  of  Peruvian  bark 
upon  himself. 

Dr.  Warren  says  that  "  mercury  has  been  aptly 
denominated  the  Sampson  of  the  Materia  Medica. 

"  It  is  the  dictate  of  prudence  to  be  assured,  be- 
fore we  admit  it  into  the  strongholds  of  the 
system,  whether  it  will  act  the  part  of  a  friend  in 
defending  it  against  the  disease  that  assails  it,  or 


476  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

whether  it  may  not  be  likely  to  pull  down  the  pil- 
lars of  the  human  constitution." 

In  the  second  part,  he  gives  a  general  descrip- 
tion of  epidemic  fevers  and  the  use  of  mercury  in 
them,  taken  principally  from  foreign  sources. 

The  third  part  contains  a  sketch  of  some  of  the 
febrile  diseases  which  have  prevailed  within  the 
last  thirty  years  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  States, 
particularly  in  Massachusetts. 

The  fourth  part  contains  a  short  account  of  the 
endemical  and  epidemic  diseases  which  have  ap- 
peared in  this  neighborhood,  both  subjects  of  mer- 
curial practice. 

In  conclusion,  Dr.  Warren  attributes  the  influ- 
ence of  the  preparations  of  mercury  to  their  con- 
taining oxygen  in  such  state  of  combination  as 
will  admit  of  their  being  employed  in  medicine 
and  introduced  into  the  system.  The  effect  of 
oxygen  is  that  cff  a  stimulus  upon  the  vascular 
system,  changing  the  color  of  the  blood,  and  ren- 
dering it  more  florid.  It  excites  into  increased  ac- 
tion the  muscular  fibre,  and  thereby  changes  the 
state  of  the  body. 

Mercury  is  indeed  so  powerful  an  agent  —  truly 
indeed  the  "  Sampson  "  of  the  Pharmacopoeia,  that 
it  probably  will  always  be  used  openly  or  secretly 
in  its  various  combinations  by  physicians  and  em- 
pirics of  every  denomination,  and  all  the  preju- 
dices against  it  will  not  prevent  its  use  and  abuse. 

It  is  very  well  that  these  prejudices  should  con- 
tinue. The  resort  to  so  powerful  a  medicine 
should  be  controlled  by  the  utmost  circumspection 


181 3.]  SMALL-POX.  477 

by  medical  men,  and  it  never  ought  to  be  em- 
ployed except  under  the  care  and  by  the  order 
of  a  competent  physician.  Yet  I  have  known 
mothers  give  an  infant  six  grains  of  calomel  for 
a  trifling  complaint,  and  it  is  well  known  how 
freely  the  blue  pill  is  used  in  England,  and  prob- 
ably in  this  country.  In  the  Southern  States  mer- 
cury is  used  very  freely.  Here,  while  some  phy- 
sicians have  an  almost  superstitious  fear  of  it,  sup- 
posing its  effects  to  be  highly  debilitating,  others 
employ  it  empirically,  that  is,  from  their  own  ex- 
perience of  its  particular  effects,  without  troubling 
themselves  to  regard  its  modus  operandi. 

The  history  of  a  physician  of  extensive  prac- 
tice, is  the  history  of  medicine  during  his  time. 
It  may  be  well  therefore  to  avail  ourselves  of  the 
account  which  he  has  given  in  his  fourth  part,  of 
the  diseases  which  prevailed  successively,  having 
anything  of  an  epidemic  character. 

Dr.  Thacher  informs  us  that  in  the  years  1735 
and  1736  the  disease  called  "  Angina  ulcus-culosa 
(Angina  maligna)  prevailed  extensively  through- 
out the  country  in  its  most  malignant  form,  and  it 
was  estimated  that  in  Massachusetts  alone,  about 
one  thousand  persons  became  its  victims.  On  this 
occasion  calomel  was  for  the  first  time  administered 
as  a  remedy,  and  attended  with  the  happiest  suc- 
cess." 

Of  the  yellow  fever  a  sufficient  account  has  al- 
ready been  given. 

SMALL-POX.  —  Inoculation  for  the  small-pox  was 
introduced  into  New  England  in  1721,  in  despite  of 


478  LIFE   OF  DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

an  immense  opposition  and  outcry, —  at  the  in- 
stance of  Cotton  Mather.  Dr.  Boylston  was  the 
only  person  bold  enough  to  perform  it ;  and  he 
did  so  at  the  peril  of  his  life.  Those  who  died  from 
its  effects  were  regarded  in  the  same  manner  as  if 
they  had  committed  suicide,  and  those  who  per- 
formed the  operation,  as  murderers.  An  attempt 
was  made  to  destroy  one  of  these  persons  by  throw- 
ing a  shell  into  his  chamber.  Fortunately,  in  pass- 
ing through  the  wood-work,  the  fuse  was  knocked 
off,  and  there  was  no  explosion. 

Out  of  five  thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty- 
nine  who  took  the  disease  in  the  natural  way,  eight 
hundred  and  forty-four  died. 

In  1752,  it  was  again  epidemic,  when  the  num- 
ber of  the  inhabitants  was  15,734.  Of  this  number, 
5,544  had  the  disease  in  the  natural  way,  and  514 
died.  The  whole  number  inoculated  was  2,113,  of 
whom  30  died. 

It  was  epidemic  again  in  1761,  1764,  and  in 
1776, 1778,  and  1780. 

The  last  time  it  occurred  in  Boston  as  an  epi- 
demic of  importance  was  in  1792  ;  9,152  persons 
passed  through  it  at  this  period.  Of  these,  165 
died,  chiefly  children  ;  230  had  it  the  natural  way, 
33  of  whom  died.  The  others  were  inoculated.  The 
population  of  the  town  at  this  time  was  about 
20,000.- 

MEASLES.  —  The  measles,  Dr.  Warren  says,  have 
been  epidemic  once  in  eight  or  nine  years,  and,  al- 
most invariably,  have  prevailed  till  they  passed 
through  the  town. 


1813.]  THROAT   DISTEMPER.  479 

A  curious  case  is  given,  in  elucidation  of  Mr. 
Hunter's  theory  respecting  the  prevalence  of  two 
constitutional  diseases  at  one  and  the  same  time. 

"  I  vaccinated  a  child  about  five  years  old.  On 
the  third  day  the  arm  exhibited  the  usual  appear- 
ance of  infection  in  the  most  favorable  form.  From 
this  period  to  the  fifth,  the  incision  became  brighter. 
On  the  same  day,  the  child,  who  had,  for  a  day  or 
two  had  a  slight  cough,  complained  of  soreness 
of  the  throat  and  inflamed  eyes ;  the  redness  of  the 
incision  began  to  subside  in  the  same  proportion 
as  these  symptoms  increased,  till  at  length  it  faded, 
as  in  cases  where  the  system  had  proved  insuscep- 
tible of  the  infection. 

"  The  measles  then  assumed  the  command  of  the 
system,  and  ran  through  all  their  stages  without 
appearing  to  be  influenced  by  any  other  operation, 
till  they  turned  at  the  usual  period,  when  the  pus- 
tule began  to  resume  its  former  redness,  and  thence 
regularly  advanced  and  terminated,  having  been 
protracted  to  a  period  of  several  days  beyond  its 
common  course. 

"  This  is  a  distinct  instance  of  one  disease  taking 
full  possession  of  the  habit,  and  suspending  the 
powers  of  another,  without  entirely  subduing  them." 

He  observes  that  the  symptoms  of  measles  are 
so  well  known  that  they  require  no  particular 
detail ;  "  but  it  may  be  of  use  to  observe  that  the 
eruption  is  almost  invariably  discovered  upon  the 
velum  palati,  or  roof  of  the  mouth,  sometime  ear- 
lier than  on  the  external  surface  of  the  body." 


480  LIFE   OP   DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

THROAT  DISTEMPER.  —  Cynanehe  maligna,  putrid 
sore  throat  (now  called  diphtheria),  made  its  ap- 
pearance in  Boston,  in  September,  1735,  after  a 
very  cold  and  wet  summer.  It  commenced  at 
Kingston,  New  Hampshire,  in  the  May  preceding  ; 
an  inland  town,  situated  in  a  low  plain. 

"  The  first  person  seized  with  it  was  a  child,  who 
died  in  three  days.  About  a  week  .after,  three 
children  in  one  family,  at  a  distance  of  four  miles 
from  the  first,  were  successively  attacked,  and  died 
on  the  third  day.  It  continued  spreading,  in  that 
town,  and  gradually  made  its  way,  in  the  course  of 
the  summer  and  the  following  winter,  to  Boston 
and  many  of  the  neighboring  towns,  and  did  not 
cease  till  the  end  of  the  next  summer.  The  whole 
of  its  extent  was  from  Maine  to  Carolina.  The 
subjects  were  usually  children. 

"The  symptoms  were  a  pain  in  the  head  and  back, 
soreness  of  the  throat,  and  swelling  in  the  glands 
of  the  neck ;  pulse  frequent,  but  small  and  soft ;  the 
tonsils  somewhat  inflamed  at  first ;  the  velum  pen- 
dulum palati  and  uvula  in  the  same  condition,  with 
whitish  or  ash-colored  spots  on  their  surfaces." 

When  it  did  not  prove  fatal  on  the  second  or 
third  day,  which  it  frequently  did,  it  was  almost 
universally  attended  with  great  erosion  and  exco- 
riation about  the  fauces,  inside  of  the  mouth,  lips, 
and  chin,  and  wherever  the  saliva  lodged,  and 
these  parts  became  covered  with  a  white  aphthous 
slough,  painful  and  corrosive.  Even  the  extremi- 
ties of  the  fingers  when  smeared  with  the  saliva 
were  corroded.  A  sister  of  Dr.  Holyoke  lost  her 


1813.]  THROAT   DISTEMPER.  481 

finger  nails  from  the  acrid  quality  of  the  matter ; 
a  circumstance,  it  may  be  observed,  which  often 
occurs  in  erysipelatous  inflammation. 

Dr.  Warren  remarks,  in  accordance  with  the  ob- 
servation of  Dr.  Holyoke,  that  the  disease  in  later 
years  appeared  in  a  different  form,  and  attended 
with  greater  debility.  It  was  not  considered  con- 
tagious by  the  physicians  of  that  day.  On  its  first 
appearance  in  Boston  it  was  supposed  to  be  noth- 
ing more  than  a  common  cold ;  but  when  its  mor- 
tality in-  New  Hampshire  was  known,  it  spread 
the  greatest  degree  of  alarm  and  terror. 

The  number  of  those  who  had  the  disease  in  Bos- 
ton was  4,000,  of  whom  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
died  —  one  in  thirty-five. 

In  1754  and  1755,  it  again  made  its  appearance 
in  some  parts  of  Massachusetts  and  New  Hamp- 
shire. In  1784  it  also  spread  through  most  of  the 
towns  of  New  England,  since  which  time,  says  Dr. 
Warren,  it  has  never  been  generally  prevalent  in 
any  considerable  part  of  this  commonwealth. 

"  In  1802  some  instances  of  extreme  virulence 
occurred,  and  began  to  produce  an  alarm  in  the 
town ;  but  a  more  specific  epidemic,  the  measles, 
having  made  their  appearance  in  the  latter  end 
ot  January,  the  inhabitants  were  happily  relieved 
from  their  anxiety,  and  the  throat  distemper  was 
completely  overpowered  and  subdued  by  this  wel- 
come substitute." 

It  ffirst  appeared  about  the  last  of  December, 
1801.  In  the  beginning,  the  symptoms  were  re- 
markable paleness  of  the  countenance,  extreme 

31 


482  LIFE    OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  60. 

weakness,  pain  in  the  limbs,  slight  soreness  of  the 
throat,  white  tongue.  The  tonsils  were  remark- 
ably inflamed  or  swollen,  as  much  as  in  common 
sore  throat  from  cold.  On  the  second  day,  an  efflo- 
rescence usually  commenced  on  the  arms,  neck,  and 
breast,  which  gradually  extended  over  the  whole 
surface  without  any  relief  to  the  patient.  In  some 
cases  the  respiration  was  laborious.  One  instance 
assumed  the  form  of  Cynanche  tonsillaris.  The 
glands  of  the  neck  were  much  swollen.  On  the 
third  or  fourth  day,  the  efflorescence  in  the  more 
violent  cases  assumed  a  deeper  shade  of  red,  bor- 
dering upon  purple.  In  proportion  to  the  cuta- 
neous eruption  was  the  danger  of  the  disease. 
At  this  period  an  aphthous  coating  was  discovered 
on  the  velum  of  the  palate,  and  on  the  tonsils. 
On  the  fifth  day,  the  patient  usually  either  died,  or 
exhibited  marks  of  amendment. 

"  The  prostration  of  strength  was  so  remarkable 
from  the  beginning,  the  pulse  so  extremely  frequent 
and  small,  and  the  tendency  to  putrefaction  so  ob- 
vious, that  it  was  judged  necessary  to  commence 
immediately  with  tonic  and  antiseptic  medicines ; 
sometimes,  however,  cleansing  the  stomach  and 
fauces  with  an  emetic  of  ipecac.  Bark  and  wine 
were  then  prescribed  in  as  large  quantities  as 
could  be  conveyed  into  the  stomach,  with  elixir 
vitriol  (sulphuric  acid)  diluted  with  water ;  and  in 
case  of  aphthae,  or  erosions  of  the  tonsils  and  uvula, 
great  advantage  was  derived  from  diluted  muri- 
atic acid  applied  with  a  small  mop  or  sponge  to 
the  parts  affected." 


1813.]  CONSUMPTION.  483 

"For  the  swelling  of  the  parotid  glands,  noth- 
ing was  so  efficacious  as  the  application  of  cold 
water,  or  vinegar  and  water,  by  cloths  kept  con- 
stantly \vet  with  these  fluids.  The  drinking  of 
cold  water  was  in  some  cases  attended  with  the 
happiest  effect."  One  patient  recovered  from  the 
most  desperate  state  of  the  disease  by  drinking, 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  days,  several  pails 
full,  discharging  most  of  it  immediately  from  the 
stomach. 

"It  was  distinguished  from  inflammatory  sore 
throat  by  occurring  in  infirm  persons,  especially  in 
females ;  it  seemed  to  arise  from  contagion.  It  was 
a  constitutional  disorder,  attended  with  vomiting 
or  purging,  acute  pain  in  the  head,  erysipelatous 
redness  of  the  fauces,  and  a  scarlet  eruption  on  the 
skin,  with  quick  and  weak  pulse.  It  became  ul- 
cerous with  sloughs  of  a  cineritious  color." 

I  have  been  thus  particular  in  quoting  Dr.  War- 
ren's account  of  the  disease,  because  it  appears  to 
be  allowed  that  the  disease  introduced  from  France 
into  England  about  the  year  1858,  under  the  name 
of  Diphtherite  or  Diphtheria,  and  afterwards  pre- 
vailing here  and  creating  consternation  by  its  sud- 
denness and  fatality,  was  the  same  disease. 

The  croup,  hydrocephalus  internus,  pleurisy, 
and  pneumonia,  we  may  pass  over.  They  pre- 
vailed formerly  as  they  do  now,  and  to  about  the 
same  extent.  Croup  is  probably  less  frequent  and 
fatal  than  formerly. 

PHTHISIS  was,  as  it  is  now,  one  of  the  most  fatal, 
if  not  the  most  so,  of  all  diseases  prevalent  in  our 


484  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [ AGE  60. 

vicinity.  In  the  nine  months  from  July  1st,  1804, 
there  were  three  hundred  and  twenty-three  deaths. 
Of  these,  fifty-six  died  of  consumption,  seventeen 
males  and  thirty-nine  females,  amounting  to  more 
than  one  sixth  part  of  the  whole. 

Dr.  Warren  says :  "  In  the  populous  seaport 
towns,  the  mortality  from  this  disease  is  consider- 
ably greater  than  in  the  country.  I  impute  this 
chiefly  to  these  causes :  dissipation  and  intemper- 
ance, too  little  exercise,  and  improper  clothing ; 
this  not  being  adapted  to  the  nature  of  the  cli- 
mate, the  season,  and  the  mutability  of  the  weather." 

The  first  of  these  causes  principally  applies  to 
males,  and  is  voluntary ;  the  two  latter  to  females, 
and  are  the  effect  of  pride,  vanity,  or  carelessness. 

A  common  source  of  consumption  in  our  females 
is  want  of  exercise ;  there  is  perhaps  no  place  in 
which  the  common  habits  of  improved  social  life 
are  adopted,  in  which  this  sex  are  less  attentive  to 
that  most  essential  requisite  for  the  preservation  of 
health,  than  in  this. 

"  Nor  are  these  observations  inapplicable  to  the 
other  sex.  There  is  not  one  man  in  a  hundred 
that  exercises  sufficiently  in  mercantile  cities  ;  be- 
cause not  one  in  a  hundred  from  the  nature  of  his 
occupations  is -obliged  to  do  it,  and  not  one  in  two 
hundred  will  do  it  from  principle. 

"  The  fashionable  modes  of  clothing  constitute 
a  no  less  fruitful  source  of  infirmities  than  those 
before  enumerated. 

"  The  warm  rooms,  which  are  usually  an  ap- 
pendage to  the  luxury  of  the  capitals ;  and  thin 


1813.]  DYSENTERY.  485 

clothing  abroad,  lay  the  foundation  of  many  of 
those  complaints  which  are  the  precursors  of  con- 
sumption." 

Dr.  Warren  says  no  exercise  is  equally  salutary 
with  that  of  walking. 

Lecturers  upon  hygiene  and  the  steam-engine, 
have  made  an  immense  change  with  regard  to  ex- 
ercise. Merchants  reside  at  a  distance  from  their 
places  of  business,  great  numbers  living  out  of 
town,  and  coming  in  daily  to  their  stores  and  ware- 
houses. At  one  period  few  people  left  Boston  in 
summer.  They  went  to  their  places  of  business 
in  the  morning,  returned  to  a  hasty  dinner  at  two, 
and  went  again  to  their  stores  as  soon  as  dinner 
was  over.  Hygiene  is  better  understood  and  bet- 
ter attended  to.  Steam  and  horse  railways  have 
introduced  a  new  era.  All  the  world  is  in  motion ; 
all  the  world  is  restless. 

Whether  the  introduction  of  furnaces  has  been 
equally  conducive  to  health,  whether  the  multi- 
plication of  factories  and  of  the  various  employ- 
ments which  an  immensely  increased  population 
has  demanded,  is  another  question  ?  Whether 
sufficient  attention  is  paid  to  proper  clothing  ? 

On  the  other  hand  we  may  be  surprised  to  find 
that  in  the  country  far  too  many  of  the  farmers' 
wives  are  worn  out  and  become  prematurely  old 
from  hard  labor.  Working  in  mills  and  factories 
of  course  paves  the  way  for  consumption. 

DYSENTERY.  During  the  period  of  my  father's 
practice  no  disease  was  more  dreaded  than  that  of 
dysentery  in  the  summer  season.  It  prevailed  as 


486  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  60. 

an  epidemic  in  our  army,  especially  at  the  com- 
mencement of  the  war,  and  was  exceedingly  fatal 
among  the  troops  stationed  at  Cambridge  and 
Roxbury.  Dr.  Warren's  main  hygienic  treat- 
ment, at  least  during  the  summer  months,  was  to 
guard  against  this  disease.  All  raw  vegetables, 
green  corn,  cucumbers,  salads,  but  especially  un- 
ripe fruit,  or  ripe  fruit  in  any  excess,  he  regarded  as 
poisons.  Many  things  now  regarded  as  promot- 
ing health  by  obviating  costiveness,  were  utterly 
prohibited.  As  a  remedy,  he  found  nothing  bet- 
ter than  the  extract  juglandis  cinerese,  extract  of 
butternut.  Small  doses  of  ipecac  and  opium  and 
the.  warm  bath  were  beneficial.  But  opium  was 
not  used  as  it  is  now,  as  the  sheet-anchor  in  this 
disease. 

RHEUMATISM.  It  was  the  custom  to  bleed  in  acute 
rheumatism  as  in  other  inflammatory  diseases. 

Dr.  Warren  does  not  notice  the  Spotted  Fever, 
which  in  fact  did  not  appear  as  an  epidemic  in  Mas- 
sachusetts until  subsequent  to  the  delivery  of  this 
address.  It  commenced  its  career  in  Medfield, 
Massachusetts,  in  March,  1806,  and  as  Dr.  Thacher 
says,  it  "  spread  terror  and  desolation  through  the 
interior  of  the  country."  "  In  1810  it  prevailed  in 
the  County  of  Worcester  with  unexampled  mortal- 
ity, baffling  the  powers  of  medicine,  and  setting 
at  defiance  the  best  skill  of  physicians." 

A  committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  So- 
ciety, composed  of  Drs.  Thomas  Welsh,  James 
Jackson,  and  John  C.  Warren,  were  appointed  to 
investigate  the  disease  and  report  upon  the  sub- 
ject. 


1813.]  SPOTTED    FEVER.  487 

They  addressed  a  circular  to  those  physicians 
throughout  the  State  who  had  witnessed  the  dis- 
ease. They  obtained  answers  from  twelve.  The 
substance  of  these  is  given  in  their  report. 

"  The  subject  of  this  disease,  they  say,  is  seized 
in  the  midst  of  his  labor  or  occupation,  and  often 
is  struck  down  as  suddenly  as  if  by  a  stroke  of 
lightning. 

"  There  is  local  pain  in  one  joint  or  limb,  often  in 
a  finger  or  toe,  in  the  side,  stomach,  back,  neck, 
or  head.  Sometimes  there  is  delirium  or  coma ; 
more  rarely  spasms  or  convulsions.  Sometimes 
the  sensation  is  like  the  stinging  of  a  bee ;  fre- 
quently it  is  an  excruciating  pain  which*  arrests 
and  demands  the  whole  attention.  This  pain  moves 
about  without  losing  its  violence,  generally  ap- 
proaching the  head.  The  pain  in  the  head  is  often 
intolerably  severe,  and  is  compared  to  the  beating 
of  hammers. 

"  In  some  cases  the  delirium  is  violent,  producing 
a  fury  which  is  scarcely  to  be  restrained.  In  a 
few  instances  the  patient  has  become  blind  and 
raving  within  half  an  hour  of  the  attack. 

"  Some  die  in  the  early  stages  of  this  disease.  A 
few  are  taken  off  suddenly  in  ten  or  twelve  hours ; 
others  in  twenty-four,  thirty-six,  or  forty-eight 
hours,  from  the  first  symptom  of  this  disorder. 
Death  rarely  occurs  after  the  third  day."  Some 
physicians  most  conversant  with  the  disease  con- 
sidered their  patients  safe  if  they  passed  through 
the  first  twenty-four  hours  without  any  mortal 
symptoms. 


488  LIFE    OF   DK.    JOHN    WARREN.  [ AGE  60, 

In  cases  fatal  within  two  days,  petechial  spots 
of  dark  color,  violet  or  livid,  suddenly  appeared 
on  the  inferior  extremities,  and  immediately  over 
the  whole  body.  It  is  this  discoloration  of  the  body 
in  the  fatal  cases  that  has  given  the  name  to  the 
disease. 

On  the  access  of  the  disease,  the  eyes  are  de- 
scribed as  more  brilliant  than  usual,  with  a  wild, 
penetrating  stare  ;  and  it  is  said  that  this  is  often 
noticed  before  the  patient  is  aware  of  any  symp- 
tom of  illness.  Spasms  are  also  noticed,  which 
frequently  occur,  sometimes  resembling  hysteric 
spasms,  sometimes  occasioning  the  head  to  be 
drawn  fyack,  as  in  opisthotonos. 

In  the  congestive  fever  that  proved  fatal  to  so 
many  of  our  troops  in  Newbern,  N.  C.,  in  1863, 
this  was  a  general  symptom  —  stiffness  of  the  mus- 
cles of  the  neck  or  back,  sometimes  amounting  to 
spasm  —  and  it  seems  to  be  conceded  that  the  cere- 
bro-spinal  meningitis,  which  under  this  new  name 
has  recently  proved  so  suddenly  fatal,  is  the  spot- 
ted fever  of  1807-15. 

The  writer  of  the  article  on  spotted  fever  in  the 
"  Encyclopaedia  Americana  "  sums  up  as  the  result 
of  the  pathological  observation,  "  that  this  disease 
was  a  fever,  having  a  peculiar  tendency  to  run  rap- 
idly into  a  state  of  great  prostration  and  debility, 
and  often  more  or  less  complicated  with  local  inflam- 
mation of  an  erysipelatous  character." 

The  practice  which  had  been  found  applicable  to 
other  fevers  proved  so  unsuccessful  in  this,  that  the 
physicians  early  lost  their  confidence,  not  only  in 


1813.]  SPOTTED    FEVER.  489 

the  usual  practice,  but  in  the  resources  of  medicine 
altogether. 

The  credit  is  given  to  a  worthy  matron  of  devis- 
ing the  first  successful  treatment.  This  consisted 
in  exciting  perspiration  by  means  of  some  "  herb- 
tea,"  and  by  a  vapor  bath,  and  keeping  the  patient 
highly  stimulated  with  brandy  and  other  diffusible 
stimulants.  Taking  this  hint,  judicious  physicians 
adopted  a  combination  of  opium,  ipecac,  and  cam- 
phor, to  produce  and  keep  up  a  gentle  diaphoresis, 
and  the  careful  employment  of  stimulants,  guided 
by  the  temperature  of  the  skin  and  by  the  pulse. 
In  cases  of  great  coldness  and  prostration,  large 
quantities  of  the  most  powerful  stimulants  were  re- 
quired ;  brandy  in  hot  water,  tincture  of  cinnamon, 
tincture  of  opium,  tinctures  of  peppermint  and  lav- 
ender, were  the  best.  Afterwards,  the  cinchona 
was  given.  Quinine  was  unknown.  A  nutritious 
and  stimulating  diet  was  adopted.  Emetics  were 
used  only  when  the  state  of  the  stomach  indicated 
them.  Cathartics  were  avoided,  and  only  the  mild- 
est laxatives  used  when  it  was  necessary  to  employ 
them  to  remove  costiveness. 

Such  is  the  general  outline  of  the  practice  found 
most  successful  in  spotted  fever,  and  there  can  be 
no  doubt  of  its  proper  application  to  the  new  named 
disease,  cerebro-spinal  meningitis.  If  the  symp- 
toms are  such  as  described  above,  they  indicate  a 
tonic  course,  with  nourishing  diet,  as  in  erysipelas 
or  other  diseases  involving  an  animal  poison. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

1813-1814. 
EVENTS    OF   THE    WAR  CONTINUED. 

Holocaust  of  Horses.  —  Abdication  of  Napoleon.  —  Veteran  Troops 
sent  to  America.  —  Arrival  of  the  British  Fleet.  —  March  toward 
the  Capital.  —  Battle  of  Bladensburg.  —  Capture  of  Washington. 

rilO  return  to  the  events  of  the  war.  On  the  18th 
of  October,  1812,  the  British  sloop  Frolic  was 
taken  by  the  American  sloop  Wasp  ;  October  25th, 
Commodore  Decatur,  in  the  United  States,  captured 
the  frigate  Macedonian  ;  and  on  February  25th,  1813, 
the  Hornet  captured  the  British  sloop  of  war,  Pea- 
cock. 

Some  time  in  1814  the  British  landed  in  the 
north  part  of  Maine.  The  militia  who  had  been 
stationed  to  guard  the  coast,  fled  with  the  greatest 
speed  into  the  heart  of  the  woods.  Numbers  of 
horses  whose  riders  had  urged  them  to  their  ut- 
most through  almost  impassable  roads  blocked  by 
stumps  of  trees,  over  corduroy  bridges  composed 
of  logs  of  all  sizes  with  intervals  between  them,  — 
deep  sloughs,  in  which  the  horses  plunged  and 
wallowed,  —  at  length  arrived  at  Palmyra. 

Joseph  Warren,  filled  with  compassion  for  the 
sufferings  of  the  wretched,  worn-out  creatures,  pur- 
chased them  of  their  owners,  who  considered  them- 
selves secure  from  further  pursuit,  or  thought  their 


1814.]  ABDICATION   OF  NAPOLEON.  491 

own  heels  a  better  protection  than  those  of  their 
worn-out  horses.  He  had  the  miserable  beasts 
slaughtered  and  placed  on  a  funeral  pyre  in  the 
middle  of  the  public  square  or  market-place,  where 
they  were  burnt  like  an  ancient  hecatomb,  while 
the  inhabitants  gathered  around  and  held  high  fes- 
tival in  honor  of  those  who  had  won  not  the  battle, 
but  the  race. 

In  September,  1813,  Perry  obtained  a  brilliant 
naval  victory  on  Lake  Erie  ;  and  upon  the  getting 
up  a  new  expedition  against  Canada,  the  battle  of 
Bridgewater,  or  Lundy's  Lane,  was  fought,  —  al- 
most our  first  success  in  Canada. 

Those  who  have  been  at  Niagara  will  recollect 
the  old  man  in  military  dress,  at  the  Observatory, 
who  points  out  the  scene  of  this  battle. 

The  news  of  the  abdication  of  Bonaparte  on  the 
5th  of  April,  1814,  was  a  serious  damper  to  the  war 
party,  but  a  source  of  great  rejoicing  to  the  Federal- 
ists, as  favoring  the  return  of  peace.  It  was  cele- 
brated in  Boston  by  religious  services  at  the  Stone 
Chapel,  a  sermon  by  Dr.  Channing,  etc.  Negotia- 
tions for  peace  were  renewed ;  but  the  English 
seemed  in  no  hurry,  as  delivered  from  the  pressure 
of  war  on  the  Continent,  they  could  employ  their 
liberated  troops  to  advantage  in  this  country. 

Large  detachments  of  veteran  troops  were  sent 
to  America.  On  the  8th  of  August  news  reached 
the  government  that  there  had  arrived  in  the  Ches- 
apeake River,  Admiral  Cochrane  from  Bermuda, 
with  General  Ross,  and  a  division  of  about  four 
thousand  of  Wellington's  army.  They  were  joined 


492  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

by  a  thousand  marines  and  a  body  of  armed  and 
disciplined  negroes,  who  were  deserters  from  the 
plantations.  It  had  been  the  policy  of  the  British 
troops  to  treat  the  negroes  with  kindness,  and 
entice  them  to  desert  their  masters.  They  were 
therefore  friendly  to  the  English,  and  as  they  out- 
numbered the  whites,  were  a  terror  to  them,  and 
gave  them  ample  employment  in  restraining  their 
own  servants. 

The  British  fleet  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake, 
August  18th,  1814.  •  Enfeebled  by  close  confine- 
ment, and  wilting  under  the  burning  sun,  the  troops 
could  scarcely  stagger  along.  Their  progress 
might  easily  have  been  delayed,' if  not  effectually 
stopped,  by  a  slight  opposition,  and  the  felling  a 
few  trees  where  the  road  crossed  the  streams  and 
swamps.  But,  as  Mr.  Hildreth  says,  the  slave  pop- 
ulation outnumbering  the  whites,  the  frightened 
planters  thought  only  of  "  saving  their  own  throats 
from  insurgent  knives,  and  their  human  property 
from  English  seduction.  In  the  slaves,  the  British 
had  good  friends  and  sure  means  of  information." 
Led  by  trained  negroes,  they  cautiously  advanced 
only  six  miles  the  first  day,  —  but  without  meeting 
any  opposition,  —  up  the  left  bank  of  the  Pawtuxet, 
threatening  Burney's  squadron  in  front,  Alexandria 
and  Washington  on  the  left,  and  Baltimore  and 
Annapolis  on  the  right. 

The  militia  of  the  district  summoned  to  arms, 
marched  to  a  point  about  eight  miles  east  of 
Washington,  and  were  there  joined  by  the  regu- 
lars, August  20.  The  President,  with  some  mem- 


1814.]  MAECH   TOWARDS    THE    CAPITAL.  493 

bers  of  the  Cabinet,  arrived  at  camp  at  midnight, 
and  consulted,  amid  a  scene  of  noise  and  confusion, 
for  the  defence  of  the  capital.  The  next  morning, 
August  23,  he  reviewed  an  army  of  about  thirty- 
two  hundred  men.  Various  other  bodies  of  Virginia 
and  Maryland  militia  soon  came  up,  some  without 
arms  and  equipments,  some'  neutralized  by  contra- 
dictory orders. 

On  the  24th,  the  American  army  was  strongly 
posted  near  Bladensburg,  with  the  President,  Mon- 
roe, and  Rush  in  camp,  who  came  near  falling  into 
the  hands  of  the  enemy.  The  British  army  came 
up,  utterly  exhausted  by  the  heat,  but  a  few  Con- 
greve  rockets  put  the  Maryland  militia  to  flight. 
They  were  followed  by  the  riflemen,  and  then  by 
the  Baltimore  regiment,  sweeping  off  with  them 
the  President,  General,  and  Cabinet  officers.  The 
British  pushed  on,  and  were  exposed  to  a  destruc- 
tive fire  of  artillery,  under  which  they  were  forced 
to  turn  off  to  the  right  and  left,  but  found  shelter 
in  a  ravine. 

On  the  left  they  fell  in  with  the  Annapolis  regi- 
ment, which  fled  after  a  single  fire.  Those  on  the 
right  encountered  detached  bodies,  who  retired 
promptly,  as  did  the  militia  behind  them,  and  the 
sailors  and  marines  posted  behind  were  compelled 
to  join  the  flight,  leaving  their  guns  and  their 
wounded  commanders  in  the  hands  of  the  enemy. ; 

"  Such  was  the  famous  battle  of  Bladensburg,  in 
which,"  says  Hildreth,  "very  few  Americans  had 
the  honor  to  be  either  killed  or  wounded  ;  not 
more  than  fifty  in  all."  Yet,  according  to  the  evi- 


494  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN  WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

dence  before  a  congressional  committee,  everybody 
behaved  with  perfect  courage  and  coolness,  and 
nobody  retired  except  by  orders,  or  for  the  want 
of  them.  There  had  been,  in  fact,  no  commander. 
The  President  and  Cabinet  were  in  camp,  fright- 
ened and  vacillating;  holding  the  authority,  but 
uncertain  how  to  use  it,  or  upon  whom  to  devolve 
it. 

The  English  suffered  much  more  severely,  par- 
ticularly in  the  attack  upon  the  sailors  and  marines, 
but  they  were  utterly  exhausted  by  the  heat. 

I  have  already  spoken  of  my  father's  pupil,  Mr. 
George  W.  May.  He  obtained  his  medical  degree 
in  1813,  and  established  himself  in  Washington. 
He  was  consequently  with  the  army  as  surgeon, 
and  witnessed  the  famous  retreat.  Coming  to  visit 
his  friends  in  Boston,  —  as  I  suppose,  taking  for 
that  purpose  the  opportunity  of  the  British  occu- 
pation of  Washington,  —  he  gave  my  father  an  in- 
teresting detail  of  the  battle  and  the  subsequent 
events.  He  mentioned  in  particular  one  old  man, 
who  was  so  ashamed  and  disgusted  at  the  cowardly 
behavior  of  the  militia,  that  he  refused  to  share 
their  retreat,  and  remained  standing  alone,  loading 
and  firing,  as  the  English  troops  came  up.  Struck 
with  his  courage  and  determination,  their  officers 
forbid  their  men  to  fire  upon  him,  and  tried  to  in- 
duce him  to  surrender.  He  still  kept  on  firing, 
however^  and  the  order  was  given  to  wound  with- 
out killing  him.  Shot  down  upon  his  knees,  he 
still  continued  to  load  and  fire,  and  did  so  much 
execution  that  the  order  was  at  length  reluctantly 


1814.]  CAPTURE   OF   WASHINGTON.  495 

given  to  spare  him  no  longer.  Dr.  May  spoke  with 
respect  of  his  resolute  determination  to  show  that 
there  was  one  American  who  would  not  run  away, 
but  my  father  characterized  it  as  fool-hardiness. 

The  English  generals  supposed  that  in  taking 
the  capital  they  subdued  the  nation,  but  they 
found  their  capture  little  better  than  that  of  Mos- 
cow by  the  French  —  certainly  as  barren  of  good 
results.  The  portion  of  the  American  army  which 
had  not  dispersed  had  retreated  to  Georgetown, 
leaving  Washington  free  to  the  enemy.  It  was 
then  a  straggling  village  of  about  8,000  inhabitants, 
but  almost  all  the  male  whites  had  deserted  it. 
The  enemy  set  fire  to  the  wings  of  the  capitol ;  all 
the  interior  was  destroyed,  together  with  valua- 
ble papers  and  the  library  of  Congress,  —  a  piece 
of  useless  revenge,  which  only  served  to  rouse 
to  stronger  enmity  those  who  still  respected  the 
English  nation,  and  to  inflame  to  the  utmost  the 
passions  of  those  already  sufficiently  bitter.  Other 
public  buildings  were  burned,  and  public  papers  of 
great  value  destroyed ;  the  office  of  the  "National 
Intelligencer"  ransacked,  and  its  types  thrown  out 
into  the  street,  in  revenge  for  strictures  upon  the 
conduct  of  Cockburn.1 

Their  further  ravages  were  stopped  by  a  tre- 
mendous tornado  which  dispersed  the  troops,  many 
of  whom,  seeking  refuge  where  they  could,  were 
buried  in  the  ruins  of  falling  buildings.  At  Green- 
leaf's  Point  an  explosion  took  place,  which  killed 
or  wounded  near  a  hundred  British  soldiers.  The 

1  Hildreth. 


496  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

commander,  alarmed  at  his  position,  ordered  a  silent 
retreat  in  the  night,  leaving  his  camp  fires  burning. 
After  four  days'  uninterrupted  march,  he  reim- 
barked  his  forces,  diminished  by  a  loss  of  several 
hundred  men,  in  killed,  wounded,  and  deserters. 

Thus  ended  the  famous  capture  of  Washington — 
an  event  always  considered  a  humiliation  to  the 
nation.  It  was  no  honor  to  the  captors,  since  it 
was  obtained  without  opposition  and  without  result, 
except  to  give  capital  to  the  war  party,  and  increase 
their  strength.  It  was  a  disgrace  to  the  Govern- 
ment, but  they  shifted  the  blame  upon  General 
Armstrong,  who  was  made  the  victim  for  popular 
animadversion. 


CHAPTER   XXXI. 

THREATENED    INVASION    OF   BOSTON. 

Preparations  for  Defence.  —  Boston  Streets  deserted.  —  Fears  of  In- 
vasion.—  Letter  from  Mrs.  Warren.  < —  Alarm  at  Portsmouth.  — 
Terms  of  Peace.  —  Hartford  Convention.  —  Peace.  —  Rejoicings 
in  Boston.  —  Illuminations.  —  Attendance  on  Governor  Brooks.  — 
Summoned  to  his  Brother  at  Foxborough.  —  Last  Illness:—  Exam- 
ination after  Death.  —  Funeral.  —  Character.  —  Conclusion. 

/~\N  the  14th  of  August,  the  British  proceeded 
from  Castine,  where  they  left  a  garrison,  to 
Machias,  at  the  same  time  issuing  a  proclamation 
claiming  to  take  possession  of  all  the  country  east 
of  the  Penobscot.  This  was  probably  the  time 
in  which  the  militia  retreated  so  hastily  through 
Palmyra,  selling  their  horses  as  already  related. 
Cochrane  had,  on  his  arrival  at  the  Potomac,  sent 
to  President  Madison  a  dispatch,  in  which  he  de- 
clared it  to  be  his  intention  to  lay  waste  the  whole 
of  the  sea-coast,  and  destroy  the  towns  that  were 
accessible. 

It  was  very  evident,  not  only  that  the  English 
had  a  very  low  opinion  of  American  courage,  and 
they  thought  to  intimidate  the  Government  into 
suing  for  peace,  but  they  hoped  a  great  deal 
from  the  supposed  friendliness  of  the  Federalists 
at  the  North  and  East.  To  their  disappointment, 
the  Federalists  were  the  first  and  most  earnest  in 
their  measures  for  defence  all  along  the  coast.  In 
Boston,  men  of  wealth  not  only  came  forward  with 

32 


498  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

their  means,  but  together  with  their  children, 
young  men  and  boys,  went  to  work  on  the  fortifi- 
cations, going  down  to  the  forts,  wheeling  barrows 
of  earth  and  other  materials,  using  the  spade  and 
shovel,  and  forwarding  in  every  way  the  works 
for  giving  the  enemy  a  resolute  reception. 

I  am  not  sure  that  even  the  ladies  did  not  assist 
in  this  manual  labor.  My  father  had  at  once  or- 
dered a  United  States  musket.  It  was  some  time 
before  he  could  get  one,  but  he  did  not  rest  easy 
till  he  had  obtained  it ;  and  I  have  no  doubt,  that 
feeble  as  he  then  was,  he  would  have  used  it,  and 
laid  down  his  life,  not  only  in  defence  of  his  fam- 
ily, but  of  his  native  State. 

Notwithstanding  all  this  energy,  it  was  a  gloomy 
period.  Distrust  of  the  Government,  which  had 
shown  such  imbecility  at  Washington  ;  the  readi- 
ness with  which  the  militia  took  to  their  heels ; 
the  known  power  of  the  British  nation,  now  freed 
from  their  terrible  enemy  and  rival ;  everything 
looked  black,  with  far  more  reason  than  in  the 
worst  moment  of  the  late  Rebellion.  What  was 
predicted  here  in  the  commencement  of  the  Re- 
bellion by  some  of  southern  proclivities,  had  its 
prototype  then.  If  the  grass  was  not  growing  be- 
tween the  pavements  in  School  Street,  it  was  not 
the  passing  that  prevented  it.  It  was  like  the 
street  of  a  deserted  village.  Carts  and  vehicles  of 
any  kind  only  passed  at  intervals.  It  was  like 
Sunday,  only  without  the  throng  upon  the  side- 
walks at  church  hours.  For  in  1814,  Sunday  was 
the  day  on  which  the  streets  were  most  thronged  — 


FEARS    OF  INVASION.  499 

morning  and  afternoon  —  at  the  hours  of  divine 
service.  At  that  period  the  afternoon  service  was 
even  better  attended  than  the  morning,  for  physi- 
cians and  others,  whose  necessary  occupations  or 
household  cares  kept  them  at  home  in  the  morn- 
ing, eagerly  availed  themselves  of  the  opportu- 
nity to  go  in  the  afternoon. 

All  the  family  silver  and  other  articles  of  value 
were  packed  ready  for  instant  removal ;  the  ladies 
of  Dr.  Warren's  family  were  sent  to  stay  with  dif- 
ferent friends  in  the  country,  and  the  youngest  son 
sent  to  Exeter,  where  he  had  been  staying  for 
some  time  previous.  Dr.  John  C.  Warren  was  a 
member  of  the  Cadets.  His  next  brother,  Henry, 
was  in  the  New  England  Guards,  of  which  I  think 
Charles  G.  Loring  was  commander.  There  was  a 
boy's  company  for  those  not  old  enough  for  regu- 
lar military  duty.  Henry  and  Charles,  the  only 
two  at  home,  worked  on  the  forts.  I  give  an  ex- 
tract from  a  letter  of  my  mother's,  written  to  me 
at  this  time  at  Exeter,  dated  October  9th?  1814 :  — 

"  The  news  of  to-day  is  that  Lord  Hill  has  left 
England  with  ten  thousand  men.  If  this  is  the 
case,  the  British,  when  so  strongly  reinforced,  may 
make  an  attack  upon  us  yet  this  season,  though 
we  had  begun  to  feel  pretty  secure.  If  they  should, 
they  will  find  us,  I  trust,  pretty  well  prepared  to 
receive  them.  A  committee  of  the  General  Court, 
appointed  for  the  purpose  of  considering  of  ways 
and  means  for  our  defence,  made  their  report  yes- 
terday, recommending  a  regular  army  to  be  raised 


500  LIFE   OP  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

by  this  State,  and  a  convention  to  be  called  and 
delegates  immediately  appointed.  This  report  is 
to  be  taken  into  consideration  to-morrow. 

"  If  this  report  is  accepted,  we  shall  have  a  force 
of  our  own  sufficient  to  repel  the  enemy,  and  not 
be  under  the  necessity  of  calling  upon  the  militia 
upon  every  alarm,  to  the  great  detriment  of  their 
farms  and  families.  They  have  behaved  remark- 
ably well,  not  only  in  turning  out  so  promptly, 
but  in  bearing  without  complaint  the  deprivations 
and  hardships  necessarily  attendant  upon  the  situ- 
ations of  men  called  together  so  hastily,  without 
there  being  time  to  make  the  necessary  prepara- 
tions for  their  comfort.  But  they  begin  to  look 
towards  home,  and  say  their  crops  are  spoiling  for 
want  of  hands  to  gather  them  in,  and  that  they 
have  passed  the  time  when  it  was  necessary  to  put 
in  their  winter  grain,  and  of  course  they  shall  be 
destitute  next  season.  This  must  always  be  the 
case  when  we  are  obliged  to  depend  upon  the  mi- 
litia solely  for  our  defence.  Whether  the  General 
Government  will  approve  of  our  raising  an  army 
of  our  own,  we  do  not  know,  and  if  those  who 
manage  these  matters  for  us  are  of  my  opinion, 
they  will  not  trouble  themselves  much  about  their 
approbation.  They  will  not  allow  us  the  means 
of  defence,  and  it  is  hard  if  we  must  not  take  care 
of  ourselves." 

Exeter  might  not  have  been  perfectly  safe.  I 
resided  in  the  family  of  a  Colonel  who  held  com- 
mand under  the  Governor  of  the  State  of  the  New 


18U.]  ALAEM   AT   PORTSMOUTH.  501 

Hampshire  regiments.  Dr.  Perry,  in  the  same 
house,  a  medical  pupil  of  my  father,  was  surgeon 
of  a  regiment. 

It  was  here,  as  in  the  drafting  time  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, a  surgeon  had  almost  enough  to  do  to  listen 
to  applications  for  medical  certificates  from  drafted 
men.  Dr.  Perry  found  that  the  most  of  these  ap- 
plications came  from  men  of  the  war  party,  though 
the  Federalists  preponderated  in  New  Hampshire, 
and  Governor  Gilman  was  a  Federalist. 

One  afternoon  an  alarm  was  given  that  the 
British  fleet  were  coming  into  Portsmouth.  The 
militia  were  mustered.  The  Colonel's  house  was 
headquarters.  A  guard  was  placed  at  the  doors. 
There  was  a  universal  stir  in  the  town,  — -  a  scene 
similar  to  that  in  Fairport  so  admirably  described 
by  Sir  Walter  Scott  in  the  "  Antiquary."  I  was 
too  young  to  be  conscious  of  any  danger.  While 
the  women,  indeed,  were  on  their  knees  praying 
for  the  blessing  and  protection  of  Providence,  the 
Colonel  and  other  officers  were  flying  about  every- 
where. All  was  stir  and  bustle.  The  jovial  Colo- 
nel seemed  in  high  spirits,  and  greatly  entertained 
at  the  many  ludicrous  events  which  always  occur 
on  such  occasions.  "  Pray,  Colonel,"  said  a  Major 
in  a  mournful  voice,  "  are  we  to  wear  our  military 
chapeaux  ?  "  "  0,  yes,"  replied  the  Colonel,  "  let 
us  give  the  British  a  fair  chance  at  us."  The 
Major  probably  began  to  think  that  it  was  not 
quite  so  nice  to  be  an  officer,  as  he  had  hitherto 
thought.  He  supposed  that  the  enemy  would  en- 
deavor to  pick  off  the  officers,  as  a  matter  of  course. 


502  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

A  dispatch  was  anxiously  awaited  from  Gov- 
ernor Oilman,  who  had  hastened  to  Portsmouth, 
from  his  residence  in  Exeter,  as  soon  as  the  news 
of  the  supposed  invasion  reached  him.  There  was 
no  telegraph  in  those  days.  About  ten  o'clock, 
the  expected  message  arrived.  A  sloop  of  war 
had  chased  in  two  American  fishing  vessels,  and 
this  had  been  the  cause  of  the  alarm.  It  was  sup- 
posed to  be  the  pioneer  of  the  British  fleet.  The 
militia  soon  dispersed,  and  all  was  quiet. 

In  August,  dispatches  had  been  received  from 
Ghent  with  the  terms  of  peace  proposed  by  the 
English  commissioners.  They  were  such  as  might 
naturally  be  expected  in  the  exulting  state  of  Eng- 
land, with  her  great  enemy  just  placed  beneath  her 
feet.  The  Legislature  of  New  York  unanimously 
resolved  that  the  terms  were  "  extravagant  and 
disgraceful."  The  Legislature  of  Virginia  termed 
them  "  arrogant  and  insulting."  Measures  were 
taken  in  both  places  for  large  additional  levies  of 
permanent  troops,  to  be  clothed,  fed,  and  paid  by 
the  United  States.  Much  discretion  had  been  al- 
lowed to  the  Democratic  Governors,  in  the  control 
of  their  State  troops.  But  in  New  England,  the 
General  Government  had  insisted  on  the  con- 
trol of  all  the  military  movements.  These  States 
chose  to  be  officered  by  their  own  men,  and  to 
retain  troops  for  their  own  defence.  Governor 
Strong  had  refused  to  call  out  troops  on  the  order 
of  General  Dearborn.  The  Government  refused, 
in  consequence,  to  pay  the  expense  of  defending 
Massachusetts. 


1814.]  HARTFORD    CONVENTION.  503 

A  joint  committee  of  the  Massachusetts  Legis- 
lature stated  that  no  choice  was  left  but  submis- 
sion to  the  enemy,  which  was  not  to  be  thought 
of;  and  the  appropriation  of  revenues  raised  from 
her  own  people,  which  the  General  Government 
thought  proper  to  expend  elsewhere.  Hence  an 
idea,  formerly  entertained,  of  a  Convention  of  the 
States  thus  situated,  was  now  revived. 

My  mother  often  stated  that  she  believed  the 
first  idea  of  the  Hartford  Convention  was'suggested 
in  my  father's  parlor,  where  many  earnest  patriots, 
already  mentioned  as  members  of  his  club,  met 
almost  daily  to  bring  in  the  news,  and  confer  upon 
the  state  of  the  times.  John  Quincy  Adams,  Dr. 
Welsh,  an  ardent  patriot,  and  others  —  men  of 
ability  and  influence  —  the  best  men  of  the  Federal 
party,  were  among  these,  and  of  course  all  the 
pressing  matters  of  the  time  were  earnestly  dis- 
cussed among  them. 

A  telling  lie,  especially  at  an  election  time,  will 
serve  a  good  purpose.  It  is  no  matter  how 
promptly  and  decidedly  it  may  be  refuted,  it  will 
do  to  raise  up  again  and  again,  generation  after 
generation ;  those  who  revive  it,  trusting  that  the 
refutation  is  forgotten.  Thus,  the  ghost  of  the 
Hartford  Convention  still  stalks  at  times.  People 
who  do  not  know  what  it  was,  only  believe  it  was 
to  have  been  some  terrible  plot  of  the  Federalists 
to  deliver  the  country  into  British  hands.  So 
there  are  probably  many  at  the  present  moment 
who  believe  in  the  recent  unlawful  sale  of  arms  to 
the  French ;  it  only  requires  to  repeat  the  accusa- 


504  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

tion  often  enough ;  the  refutation  is  unread  or  for- 
gotten. 

I  have  no  doubt,  from  what  I  myself  heard,  that 
there  were  religious  men  in  New  Hampshire  and 
Vermont  —  perhaps  also  in  Massachusetts  —  who 
reasoned  thus  :  "  This  war  is  an  unjust  one.  We 
are  committing  a  sin  in  aiding  it.  He  who  kills 
another  in  an  unjust  cause  commits  murder.  What 
shall  we  do  ?"  It  was  answered :  "  Let  us  separate 
our  cause  from  that  of  the  belligerent  States.  Let 
us  do  only  what  is  right  and  just ;  what  the  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  dictate ;  and  trust  to  Provi- 
dence to  save  us  from  harm,  and  keep  us  from 
injury  and  devastation  by  the  enemy."  But  any 
cooperation  with  that  enemy  —  any  favor  towards, 
or  correspondence  with  them,  or  making  separate 
terms  —  was  never  contemplated  for  a  moment. 

A  full  history  of  the  Hartford  Convention  has 
been  given  by  Mr.  Theodore  Dwight,  and  his  state- 
ments have  never  been  refuted.  It  was  a  time  of 
great  distress  in  New  England.  The  General  Gov- 
ernment, bent  upon  conquests  in  Canada,  and 
offended  by  the  sentiments  of  her  leading  men, 
had  abandoned  her,  and  left  her  coasts  unprotected 
by  a  single  national  soldier. 

A  great  part  of  Maine  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
English,  and  it  was  expected  that  a  large  expe- 
dition, formed  of  proved  soldiers,  were  to  embark 
from  the  shores  of  England  and  Ireland. 

Governor  Strong,  by  advice  of  his  Council,  called 
the  Legislature  together  to  consult  for  measures  of 
defence,  for  it  was  understood  that  this  expedition 


1814.]  HARTFORD    CONVENTION.  505 

would  be  directed  against  New  England,  the  enemy 
hoping  that  they  would  meet  with  many  to  favor 
the  invasion,  or  at  least  receive  them  with  luke- 
.warm  measures  of  hostility. 

As  all  the  New  England  States  were  in  a  similar 
condition,  it  was  proposed  that  delegates  should  be 
invited  to  meet  from  the  different  States,  to  take 
measures  for  mutual  defence,  and  the  place  of 
meeting  was  fixed  at  Hartford. 

This  convention  was  composed  of  some  of  the 
most  earnest  and  disinterested  patriots  of  New 
England.  It  sat  with  closed  doors  from  the  15th 
of  December,  1814,  to  the  5th  of  January,  .1815. 
No  information  was  given  by  any  of  its  members 
while  sitting,  of  any  of  the  measures  discussed. 
"Omne  ignotum  pro  terribile"  What  is  unknown  is 
always  regarded  as  terrible,  and  of  evil  purport ; 
and  the  friends  of  the  Administration  were  indus- 
trious in  putting  the  worst  construction  upon  the 
designs  of  the  Convention,  representing  them  as 
treasonable  in  the  highest  degree. 

The  immediate  result  of  the  Convention  was  an 
earnest  petition  to  the  Government  of  the  United 
States,  that  Massachusetts,  either  separately  or  in 
concert  with  the  neighboring  States,  might  be 
enabled  to  assume  the  defence  of  their  territories 
against  the  enemy, -and  that  a  reasonable  propor- 
tion of  the  taxes  collected  in  those  States  might  be 
appropriated  to  the  purpose,  the  disbursements  so 
made  to  be  charged  to  the  United  States. 

This  winter  was  the  darkest  period  of  the  war. 
The  high  price  of  food  and  clothing  produced  great 


506  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

distress,  while  the  constant  fear  of  seeing  an  enemy 
land  on  our  coast  kept  all  the  inhabitants  in  a  state 
of  alarm.  But  there  was  no  friendliness  towards 
the  English.  Those  most  strongly  opposed  to  the 
war  were  the  most  earnest  in  measures  of  defence 
for  their  shores  and  their  homes.  The  atrocities 
committed  where  the  enemy  had  landed,  shew  that 
civilization  had  not  lessened  the  horrors  of  inva- 
sion, or  mitigated  the  violence  of  a  soldiery  once 
abandoned  to  unrestrained  plunder  and  destruction. 

The  delegates  to  this  Convention,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  three  individuals,  were  chosen  by  the 
Legislatures  of  the  different  States.  Among  those 
from  Massachusetts  were  George  Cabot,  Nathan 
Dane,  William  Prescott,  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  Joseph 
Lyman,  etc.,  men  of  the  highest  standing  in  the 
community.  Theodore  Dwight,  in  his  History  of 
the  Hartford  Convention,  has  not  only  vindicated 
the  patriotism  and  wisdom  of  the  members  who 
composed  it,  but  fully  substantiated  its  importance 
and  good  effect. 

"  All  his  positions,"  says  Mr.  Sullivan,  "  are  sus- 
tained by  a  clear  and  cogent  course  of  argument, 
which,  while  it  confers  a  lasting  honor  on  the 
writer,  will  carry  conviction  to  all  honest  and  im- 
partial minds  in  generations  to  come." 

Such  is  the  undoubted  truth ;  but  yet  the  name 
of  Hartford  Convention  has  been  used  ever  since 
that  time  —  and  probably  for  years  to  come  will 
be  used  for  partisan  purposes  —  as  something  un- 
known and  horrible,  enveloping  those  who  origi-. 
nated  or  composed  it  in  a  cloud  of  treason.1 

1  See  Holmes'  Annals,  and.  Encyclopedia  Americana,  vol.xii.,  p.  421. 


1814.]  HARTFORD    CONVENTION.  507 

Rev.  Dr.  Holmes  speaks  of  it  as  inspiriting  the 
people,  and  giving  rise  to  a  bill  in  Congress  for 
assuming  the  expense  of  troops  to  be  raised  by  the 
separate  States. 

On  the  8th  of  January,  the  successful  battle  of 
New  Orleans  was  fought,  which  was  the  first  gleam 
of  sunshine  which  broke  through  the  dark  clouds 
which  had  overshadowed  the  country. 

The  commissioners  appointed  by  the  Convention 
had,  however,  barely  arrived  in  Washington,  when 
the  news  of  peace  was  received  there.  It  had  been 
concluded  at  Ghent,  on  the  24th  of  December, 
1814.  In  this  treaty,  all  the  grounds  for  which 
the  war  was  undertaken  were  left  unsettled.  The 
diplomatic  instructions  to  the  ambassadors  had 
dwindled  down  from  high  demands  to  the  simple 
order  to  make  peace.  Mr.  Sullivan  says :  "  Peace 
was  made ;  and  nothing  else  was  made,  during  the 
two  years  that  preceded  it,  but  distress,  calamity, 
and  debt." 

It  had  been  proved,  indeed,  that  Americans  could 
fight,  and  fight  well,  under  proper  circumstances. 

The  news  of  peace  was  received  all  over  the 
country  with  a  universal  delirium  of  joy.  Both 
Federalists  and  Democrats  united  to  swell  the  gen- 
eral acclamation ;  and  had  it  been  attended  with 
the  conquest  of  the  hostile  country,  and  the  entire 
concession  of  every  point  contended  for,  the  joy 
could  not  have  been  greater.  The  war  party  had 
felt  the  real  sufferings  and  deprivations  which  a 
protracted  war  produces ;  the  cessation  of  all  for- 
eign imports,  upon  which  we  were  then  greatly 


508  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN.      .          [ AGE  61. 

dependent,  the  high  prices  of  food  and  clothing, 
the  utter  stagnation  of  all  kinds  of  business ;  to  all 
this  was  added  the  knowledge  that  England,  having 
overcome  her  powerful  enemy  in  Europe,  was  left 
at  liberty  to  send  her  best  troops  to  America,  which 
was  left  entirely  alone  in  the  contest.  Was  it  prob- 
able, that  she  would  conclude  a  peace  without 
striking  a  heavy  blow  at  the  nation  who  had  taken 
advantage  of  her  situation  to  attack  her  while  en- 
gaged with  a  nation  so  formidable  ? 

While  the  people  were  suffering  under  the  dep- 
rivations of  war,  the  Government  were  in  the  ut- 
most perplexity.  It  was,  therefore,  almost  with 
incredulity  that  the  news  of  peace  was  received. 
The  Government  were  relieved  from  a  heavy  re- 
sponsibility, while  the  people,  who  were  still  exult- 
ing over  the  victory  of  New  Orleans,  combined 
that  event  with  the  treaty  of  peace,  and  believed 
it  was  somehow  the  result  of  that  success.  In  the 
subsequent  rejoicings,  bales  of  cotton  were  carried 
in  triumphal  procession,  they  having  been  used  as 
ramparts  in  the  defence  of  New  Orleans. 

The  22cl  of  February,  Washington's  birthday, 
was  selected  as  a  day  for  the  celebration  of  the 
great  event.  A  large  triumphal  procession  was 
formed  in  Boston ;  all  the  trades  and  societies  were 
separately  invited  to  meet  and  join.  In  the  even- 
ing there  was  to  be  a  general  illumination.  It  was 
at  first  intended  that  it  should  be  universal  —  the 
whole  population  should  be  invited  to  illuminate. 
The  town  authorities,  fearing  that  in  the  enthusiasm 
of  the  moment  any  persons  not  disposed  to  illumi- 


1815.]  ILLUMINATIONS.  509 

nate  might  be  badly  treated,  or  have  their  win- 
dows broken  (the  orthodox  way  of  treating  such 
cases),  published  a  notice,  warning  the  inhabitants 
that  it  should  not  be  expected  of  all.  Some  might 
have  sickness  or  death  in  their  houses ;  many 
might  have  suffered  too  much  from  the  war,  and 
be  too  poor  to  illuminate ;  consideration  was  asked 
for  all  such  cases. 

It  was  finally  concluded  that  it  would  be  most 
prudent  to  confine  the  illumination  to  public  build- 
ings only. 

Members  of  all  the  trades,  mechanical  occupa- 
tions, and  of  the  different  societies,  were  assigned 
places  of  meeting  to  form  for  the  procession.  They 
each  carried  implements,  or  emblems  and  banners, 
designating  their  trades.  The  truckmen  brought 
up  the  rear  with  an  elegant  team  of  seventeen 
horses,  drawing  a  sled  loaded  with  bales  of  New 
Orleans  cotton. 

At  half  past  nine,  public  services  commenced  in 
the  Stone  Chapel.  A  Te  Deum  was  sung,  and 
other  appropriate  services  and  hymns  were  per- 
formed. There  was  a  public  dinner  at  the  Exchange 
Coffee  House,  a  place  of  a  good  deal  of  importance 
in  those  days,  as  the  centre  of  business  and  the 
principal  public  house. 

In  the  evening,  fireworks  were  exhibited,  and 
the  illumination  took  place.  The  whole  State 
House  was  brilliantly  illuminated.  Situated  upon 
the  commanding  eminence  it  holds,  the  effect  of 
the  illumination,  if  fully  carried  out,  must  have 
been  magnificent.  Probably  the  expense  has  de- 


510  LIFE   OP  DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

terred  a  repetition  of  this  display  at  any  subsequent 
period.  It  was  suggested  by  the  late  Rev.  Wil- 
liam Ware,  the  author  of  "  Zenobia,"  that  a  most 
magnificent  effect  might  be  produced  by  the  illu- 
mination of  the  exterior  of  the  State  House,  in  the 
same  manner  in  which  the  Church  of  St.  Peter's,  at 
Rome,  is  illuminated. 

The  streets  were  blocked  up  by  an  unusual 
quantity  of  snow,  which  was  a  reason  given  by  the 
Selectmen  for  confining  the  illumination  to  private 
houses,  the  danger  of  fire  in  the  impeded  state  of 
the  streets,  being  considered  very  formidable.  Dr. 
Latimer's  house,  in  North  Square,  was  brilliantly 
illuminated  with  transparencies,  etc.  These  trans- 
parencies, here  and  elsewhere,  formed  the  most 
pleasing  part  of  the  show. 

My  father,  then  sixty-two  years  of  age,  but  in 
feeble  health  and  with  a  broken  down  constitution, 
could  not  be  prevented  from  walking  out  to  witness 
the  illumination.  I  accompanied  him,  and  he  flat- 
tered me  (then  a  boy  of  eleven)  that  I  supported 
his  feeble  steps,  and  prevented  him  from  slipping 
upon  the  ice.  We  went  through  the  principal 
streets,  finding  the  transparencies  abundant,  and 
all  the  signs  of  universal  rejoicing.  He  was  greatly 
pleased.  "  Now,"  said  he,  on  his  return  home, 
"  now  let  me  depart  in  peace,  for  I  have  seen  the 
salvation  of  my  country." 

Notwithstanding  the  feebleness  of  his  health,  Dr. 
Warren  had  been  as  active  as  ever  in  the  discharge 
of  his  professional  duties.  In  this  winter  he  was 
called  upon  to  attend  in  consultation  Governor 


1815.]  ATTENDANCE    ON    GOVERNOR   BROOKS.  511 

Brooks,  who  was  dangerously  ill  at  his  residence  in 
Medford.  Governor  Brooks  was  the  successor  of 
Governor  Strong. 

"  Notwithstanding  the  pressure  of  his  business  and 
the  state  of  his  health,  which  was  then  quite  feeble, 
urged  on  by  friendship  for  Governor  Brooks,  and 
his  sense  of  the  value  of  his  life  to  the  community, 
he  contrived  to  visit  him  once  and  sometimes  twice 
every  day  while  his  severe  illness  lasted.  Governor 
Brooks'  situation  was  such  as  to  make  it  necessary 
to  adopt  some  decisive  remedy,  and  an  application 
of  tobacco  was  made,  of  which,  as  the  success  was 
uncertain  and  as  it  was  the  last  resort,  the  operation 
was  awaited  by  Dr.  Warren  with  intense  anxiety. 
His  delight  was  proportionable  in  finding  it  take  a 
favorable  turn.  Governor  Brooks  recovered. 

"  About  this  time,  on  returning  home  one  day 
towards  evening,  he  found  a  letter  from  Fox- 
borough,  about  twenty-five  miles  from  Boston, 
stating  that  his  brother,  who  resided  there,  had 
dislocated  his  shoulder  three  days  before,  and  that 
the  neighboring  practitioners  had  not  been  able  to 
reduce  it.  He  immediately  ordered  a  carriage  to 
carry  him  there.  On  his  family  urging  him,  on 
account  of  his  own  ill  health,  to  wait  till  morning 
and  take  some  rest,  he  replied,  ( it  would  be  like 
resting  on  a  bed  of  coals,'  and  set  out  without 
delay. 

"  As  soon  as  he  arrived  there  he  commenced  his 
operations.  He  made  several  unsuccessful  attempts 
with  the  pulleys.  After  trying  an  hour  or  two  he 


512  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  61. 

desisted,  and  said  he  would  try  again  in  the  morn- 
ing. On  retiring,  he  expressed  to  his  student,  who 
was  with  him,  his  great  anxiety  about  his  brother. 
He  neither  undressed  nor  slept  that  night,  but  spent 
it  principally  in  walking  about  the  room  in  great 
agitation.  Before  morning,  he  caused  the  family  to 
be  roused  to  make  another  attempt.  In  this,  after 
an  hour  or  more,  he  succeeded.  For  a  short  time 
afterwards  he  was  in  great  spirits,  but  soon  after 
getting  into  his  sleigh  to  return  home,  seemed  to 
sink  from  exhaustion.  He,  however,  proceeded  to 
Boston,  and  without  resting,  resumed  his  visits  to 
his  patients."  l 

While  he  was  laboring  under  severe  illness  and 
confined  to  the  house,  he  was  sent  for  by  his  friend 
Dr.  Dexter,  who  was  very  ill.  Despite  of  all  the 
remonstrances  of  his  wife  and  family,  he  would  not 
refuse  the  summons,  though  entirely  unfit  to  go 
out,  and  he  must  have  been  convinced  that  he  did 
so  at  the  peril  of  his  life.  The  result  was  a  severe 
aggravation  of  his  disease. 

Dr.  Jackson,  who  attended  him  in  consultation 
with  his  son,  Dr.  J.  C.  Warren,  has  given,  in  a  note 
tto  his  Eulogy,  a  detailed  account  of  his  disease, 
which  I  copy  in  full :  —  * 

"  Dr.  Warren  was,  from  the  age  of  thirty,  occa- 
sionally affected  with  an  uneasiness  in  the  breast, 
which  he  sometimes  thought  would  prove  fatal  at 
an  early  period  of  life.  He  was  also  subject  to 
paroxysms  of  sick  headache,  occurring  about  once 

1  Thaclier's  Medical  Biography.     Art.  written  by  Henry  Warren. 


1815.]  LAST    ILLNESS.  513 

in  a  month,  which  continued  till  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1804.  At  this  time  he  had  a  severe  spas- 
modic affection  of  the  bowels,  which  recurred  at 
different  times  during  the  space  of  three  months. 
In  the  year  1811,  a  slight  paralytic  affection  of  the 
right  side  came  on,  and  never  completely  disap- 
peared. After  the  last  attack,  the  symptoms  of 
uneasiness  in  the  breast  increased  in  the  frequency 
of  their  appearance,  and  in  their  severity.  During 
the  last  winter  they  appeared  with  a  frequency  and 
severity  which  was  very  alarming.  These  attacks 
seemed  to  be  caused  by  colds  ;  they  generally  took 
place  at  one  or  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
lasted  two  or  three  hours,  unless  previously  relieved 
by  opium.  The  principal  symptom  which  attended 
them  was  the  sensation  of  a  cord  across  the  breast, 
and  a  consequent  dread  of  suffocation,  which  pro- 
duced great  agitation  and  distress. 

"  In  February  and  the  beginning  of  March,  1815, 
he  underwent  great  fatigue  and  exposure,  and  sub- 
sequently became  feeble  and  dispirited,  and  had 
frequent  attacks  of  his  complaint.  On  the  22d  of 
March,  he  went  out  as  usual  in  the  morning,  but  in 
the  evening  he  was  attacked  with  febrile  symptoms, 
and  in  the  night  had  a  paroxysm  of  dyspnoea.  The 
febrile  symptoms  continuing  the  next  day,  he  took 
an  emetic,  and  appeared  better  on  Friday  and  Sat- 
urday ;  and  on  the  last  of  these  days,  having  a 
particular  desire  to  go  out,  he  visited  some  patients, 
and  passed  the  afternoon  in  business  at  home.  In 
the  night  his  complaint  returned,  and  on  the  next 
morning  appeared  alarming,  the  pulse  being  quick 


33 


514  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  62. 

and  very  hard,  tongue  foul,  with  a  fixed  pain  on 
the  right  side,  laborious  respiration,  and  an  occa- 
sional cough.  He  had  an  emetic,  a  blister  on  the 
side,  and  commenced  a  course  of  calomel  and 
opium ;  but  notwithstanding  these  remedies,  the 
nightly  paroxysm  was  more  distressing  than  any 
he  had  ever  experienced ;  nor  did  he  get  relieved 
till  after  a  copious  bleeding  and  repeated  doses  of 
opium.  The  bleeding  reduced  the  hardness  of  the 
pulse,  and  appeared  to  prevent  the  recurrence  of 
severe  paroxysms  of  dyspnoea,  but  the  debility 
which  began  to  appear  prevented  its  repetition. 
In  the  two  or  three  following  days,  the  most  dis- 
tressing and  urgent  symptoms  gradually .  lessened, 
but  the  functions  of  all  the  organs  appeared  to  be 
irrecoverably  deranged.  The  pulsations  of  the  heart 
became  irregular  and  occasionally  intermittent;  the 
circulation  in  the  left  arm  was  peculiarly  disor- 
dered; the  stomach  loathed  all  kind  of  nourish- 
ment; the  intestines  were  affected  with  a  diarrhoea 
which  could  not  be  checked  without  being  followed 
by  great  uneasiness  in  the  breast.  The  lungs  ap- 
peared to  be  in  a  constant  state  of  oppression,  and 
were  filled  with  mucus,  except  when  the  cough 
and  expectoration  produced  a  temporary  relief. 
The  functions  of  the  brain  were  not  less  impaired ; 
a  kind  of  stupor  existed,  except  when  it  was  inter- 
rupted by  a  fit  of  distress,  and  then  an  unnatural 
sensibility  and  irritability  appeared.  In  the  even- 
ing of  April  3,  a  very  distressing  fit  of  pain  and 
difficult  breathing  came  on,  and  at  last  became  so 
excessive  that  he  requested  an  opening  might  be 


1815.]  LAST   ILLNESS.  515 

made  in  the  right  side,  probably  with  the  idea  that 
pus  or  water  might  be  discharged.  This  pain  was 
relieved  by  the  application  of  hot  tincture  of  can- 
tharides  and  a  moderate  dose  of  laudanum,  after 
which  the  night  was  passed  with  tolerable  tranquil- 
lity. At  seven  in  the  morning  of  the  fourth,  he 
inquired  the  hour ;  then  remained  quiet,  in  a  few 
minutes  began  to  breathe  more  slowly,  and  almost 
imperceptibly  expired  without  any  struggle  or 
groan." 

Disease  of  long  standing  was  found  existing  in 
the  main  vessel  of  the  heart,  and  there  were  ex- 
tensive adhesions  of  the  lungs,  which  must  have 
been  of  long  duration.  Acute  inflammation  of  the 
latter  organs  was  also  discovered,  and  this  was 
probably  the  immediate  cause  of  death. 

Dr.  Warren's  life  was  not  a  long  one,  but  it  was 
crowded  with  events,  and  with  hard  work.  At 
sixty-two  he  had  the  appearance  of  quite  an  old 
man.  He  was  repeatedly  urged  by  his  family  to 
retire  from  his  profession,  but  he  steadily  refused. 
Besides  the  natural  unwillingness  of  a  physician 
to  give  up  the  charge  of  those  whose  health  has 
been  to  him  the  object  of  solicitude  for  many  years, 
and  the  interchange  of  friendly  feeling  that  this 
charge  produces,  he  always  felt  that  the  uncer- 
tainty of  property  in  troubled  times  might  depre- 
ciate or  destroy  what  he  had  accumulated,  and  the 
welfare  of  his  family  depended  upon  his  continued 
exertions.  The  period  of  his  compelled  inactivity 
was  short.  As  we  have  seen,  he  visited  and  re- 
ceived patients  on  the  23d  and  24th  of  March,  and 
died  on  the  4th  of  April. 


516  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AoE  62. 

Perhaps  it  may  be  interesting  to  some  persons 
to  have  an  account  of  the  ceremonies  at  the  funeral 
of  a  Professor  of  Anatomy,  sixty  years  ago.  It  is 
true  that  Harvard  College  was  then  considered  a 
much  more  important  part  of  the  State  than  now. 

"  At  a  meeting  of  the  President  and  Fellows  of 
Harvard  College,  5th  April,  1815,  — 

"  Dr.  John  Warren,  Hersey  Professor  of  Anatomy 
and  Surgery,  having  departed  this  life  on  the  4th 
inst.,  and  the  Council  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society  having  taken  measures  for  expressing  their 
sense  of  the  virtues  and  great  services  of  the  de- 
ceased, and  their  committee  having  kindly  com- 
municated the  arrangements  made  to  this  Board, 
invite  the  University  to  concur  in  such  manner  as 
may  be  desired. 

"  Voted,  That  the  members  of  this  Board,  sympa- 
thizing with  the  family  of  the  deceased,  with  his 
professional  brethren,  and  with  the  community,  in 
the  loss  of  one  so  greatly  and  justly  beloved  and 
honored,  and  impressed  with  the  recollection  of 
his  signal  ability,  assiduity,  and  usefulness  in 
his  office  in  the  University,  with  which  he  was 
more  than  thirty  years  connected,  are  desirous  of 
uniting  in  the  funeral  observances  to  be  performed. 

"  Voted,  That  the  Corporation  entirely  concur  in 
the  selection  of  Dr.  Jackson  to  pronounce  a  eu- 
logy, and  in  the  rites  proposed ;  and  that  the  same 
be  attended  by  the  Corporation,  the  Professors,  and 
other  officers  of  instruction  and  government,  with 
the  resident  graduates  and  the  members  of  the 


1815.]  FUNERAL.  517 

senior  class ;  and  that  a  public  invitation  be  given 
to  the  Hon.  and  Rev.  the  Overseers,  and  to  the  med- 
ical graduates  of  the  University,  to  be  present. 

"  Voted,  That  the  President  and  Treasurer  be  a 
Committee,  to  join  with  a  Committee  of  the  Coun- 
sellors of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  to 
carry  into  effect  their  votes. 

"  JOHN  T.  KIRKLAND,  President." 

The  eulogy  was  delivered  in  the  Stone  Chapel, 
from  which  a  procession  was  formed  in  the  follow- 
ing order :  — 

Members  of  the  Senior  Class  in  Harvard  University. 

Students  in  Medicine. 

Resident  Graduates  of  the  University. 

Graduates  and  Licentiates  in  Medicine. 

Fellows  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society. 

Immediate  Government  of  Harvard  University. 

Bearers  (Corpse)  Bearers. 

The  Family. 
Corporation  and  Overseers  of  Harvard  University. 

Members  of  the  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences. 

The  Officers  and  Members  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Massachusetts. 

Members  of  the  Humane  Society. 

The  Reverend  Clergy. 

Citizens. 

/ 
/ 

Sixty  years  ago  hearses  had  not  been  introduced. 
The  coffin  was  carried  upon  a  bier  covered  with 
a  black  pall  with  six  tassels,  which  were  held  by 
six  friends  of  the  deceased,  walking!  on  each  side. 
The  procession  passed  from  the  dhapel,  through 


Common  Street,  to  the  burial  groi 


of  the  Common,  to  the  family  tomb,  then  occu- 


nd  at  the  foot 


518  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN.  [AGE  62. 

pied  only  by  the  remains  of  General  Warren,  Quaco, 
the  black  man,  who  was  drowned  in  the  Mill  Pond? 
and  the  children  who  had  died  in  infancy. 

The  eulogy  by  Dr.  Jackson  was  very  eloquent 
and  appreciative.  On  the  following  Sunday  an  able 
sermon  was  delivered  in  Brattle  Street  Church  by 
the  Rev.  Joseph  McKean,  of  Harvard  College. 

Subsequently  the  fraternity  of  Freemasons  were 
called  together,  and  full  Masonic  rites,  with  all  the 
"pomp  and  circumstance"  befitting  the  funeral 
solemnities  of  their  grand  master.  A  eulogy  was 
delivered  by  his  former  pupil,  Dr.  Josiah  Bartlett. 

There  is  little  left  to  say.  The  prominent  char- 
acteristic of  Dr.  Warren,  as  shown  by  almost  every 
act  in  his  life,  was  his  utter  and  entire  forgetfulness 
of  self.  He  was  at  all  times  utterly  regardless  of 
danger  for  himself.  "  Danger  for  a  friend,"  says 
one  of  his  biographers, "  seemed  to  shake  his  whole 
frame.  The  idea  of  pain  to  any  one  in  whom  he 
took  interest  caused  him  more  suffering  than  the 
reality  did  them.  His  whole  'soul  was  open  to  the 
feelings  of  his  patients.  He  felt  their  afflictions 
and  gave  them  his  warmest  sympathy,  and  his 
sympathy  was  repaid  by  their  gratitude  and  affec- 
tion. The  same  susceptibility  gave  a  spring  to 
his  exertions  in  everything  he  undertook.  What 
he  thought  his  duty  he  entered  upon  with  all  his 
might,  allowing  himself  no  rest,  night  or  day,  until 
it  was  concluded." 

In  a  letter  to  a  medical  editor,  his  son  Dr.  J.  C. 
Warren,  testifies :  "  My  father,  who  preceded  me, 
was  a  much  better  surgeon  than  myself."  He  no- 


1815.]  CONCLUSION.  519 

tices  particularly  his  successful  performance  of  the 
operation  for  cataract  in  many  cases  —  an  opera- 
tion which,  when  successful,  obtains  and  deserves 
so  much  gratitude.  He  also  testifies  to  the  great 
extent  of  his  father's  practice,  —  such  that  nothing 
but  the  extreme  rapidity  with  which  he  took  in  at 
a  glance  the  condition  of  his  patient,  and  with 
which  he  made  his  visits,  could  have  enabled  him 
to  accomplish. 

Had  his  inclination  induced  him,  or  his  medical  oc- 
cupations permitted,  he  was  forbidden  by  the  rules 
of  his  professorship  from  holding  any  civil  office. 

As  already  seen,  he  was  an  active  member  of  the 
American  Academy  ;  he  took  an  ardent  interest  in 
the  Humane  Society,  of  which  he  was  some  years 
president;  equally  so  in  the  Howard  Benevolent 
Society,  and  was  a  member  of  the  Agricultural 
Society,  etc. 

Several  biographical  notices  of  Dr.  Warren  have 
appeared  —  one  by  Dr.  John  C.  Warren,  in  Rees' 
u  Cyclopaedia " ;  another,  by  Henry  Warren,  in 
Thacher's  "  Medical  Biography,"  written  with  great 
ability,  and  remarkable  for  the  great  skill  in  which 
a  great  deal  of  matter  is  compressed  into  a  few 
pages  j  an  equally  able  one,  prepared  by  Dr.  Buck- 
minster  Brown,  for  Gross'  "Medical  Biography," 
and  one  in  Loring's  "One  Hundred  Boston  Orators." 
Henry  Warren  was  also  the  author  of  the  "Me- 
moir of  General  Joseph  Warren,"  published  in 
Rees'  "  Cyclopaedia." 

Dr.  Warren   left  nine  children,  five    sons    and 


520  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN.  [AGE  62. 

four  daughters,  of  whom  one  of  the  latter  married 
Dr.  John  Gorham,  already  mentioned  as  professor 
of  chemistry ;  another,  Dr.  John  B.  Brown,  of 
Boston. 


APPENDIX. 


A  CHARGE   DELIVERED  ON  THE   FESTIVAL   OF 
ST.  JOHN  THE   BAPTIST,   1782. 

BY  JOHN  WARREN,  ESQ.,  S.  W.  M. 

AFTER  A  SERMON  BY  JOHN  ELIOT,   A.  M. 

WORTHY  AND  BELOVED  BRETHREN  :  — 

A  FTER  so  sensible  and  pertinent  a  discourse  as 
•^*"  we  have  just  heard  from  the  lips  of  our 
Learned  and  Reverend  Brother,  any  additional 
charge  for  enforcing  an  obedience  to  the  Divine 
precepts  of  our  Craft  may  appear  totally  super- 
fluous ;  but  as  the  application  was  intended  to  ex- 
cite the  same  benevolent  affections  in  the  breasts  of 
others  which  do  (or  ought  to)  actuate  the  members 
of  our  honorable  Fraternity,  a  special  address  to  the 
Lodges  this  day  assembled  has  been  directed,  for  the 
purpose  of  inculcating  the  observance  of  the  rules 
and  regulations  prescribed  them  in  their  most  ex- 
cellent constitutions  as  the  most  effectual  means  of 
causing  the  influence  of  that  marvellous  light,  to 
which  they  have  been  introduced,  so  to  "shine 
before  men,  that  they  seeing  their  good  works," 
may  be  constrained  to  revere  an  institution  that  does 
honor  to  human  nature,  by  meliorating  the  heart, 


522  APPENDIX. 

enlightening  the  understanding,  and  reforming  the 
lives  of  its  followers. 

As  little  is  to  be  expected  from  the  pursuits  of 
men  who  are  not  fully  persuaded  of  the  real  worth 
and  importance  of  their  objects ;  so  unless  the  in- 
estimable value  and  utility  of  Masonry1  be  duly 
demonstrated  and  forcibly  impressed  upon  the 
mind  of  every  Brother,  we  shall  in  vain  look  for 
those  distinguishing  virtues  which  our  royal  institution 
is  so  amply  calculated  to  produce. 

It  would  be  idle  to  dwell  upon  arguments  of  this 
kind  for  the  conviction  of  such  as  have  made  any 
considerable  proficiency  in  the  study  of  it,  as  their 
own  experience  has  furnished  them  with  the  most 
incontestible  proof  of  its  value ;  but  as  the  more 
sublime  accomplishments  are  not  to  be  acquired  but 
by  time  and  industry,  an  improved  and  well  culti- 
vated taste  alone  can  excite  us  to  those  exertions 
which  are  requisite  in  so  arduous  an  undertaking. 

We  need  but  advert  to  the  wants  and  necessities 
attendant  upon  human  life,  for  the  origin  of  an 
Art  that  is  every  way  adapted  to  the  purpose  of 
diminishing  them ;  weak  and  helpless  as  we  are,  as 
individuals,  the  comfort  and  security  of  each  must 
essentially  depend  upon  the  labors  and  inventions 
of  the  whole.  The  maledictory  sentence  pronounced 
upon  the  first  parent  of  the  human  race,  "  in  the 
sweat  of  thy  brow  shalt  thou  eat  bread,"  has  been 
greatly  mitigated  by  the  almost  infinite  variety  of 
means  that  have  been,  in  different  ages  of  the 
world,  discovered  to  facilitate  the  performance  of 
the  task  assigned  us.  An  inquiry  into  the  proper- 


A    CHARGE.  523 

ties  and  affections  of  matter,  has  produced  the  in- 
vestigation of  those  laws  in  mechanics,  which  duly 
applied  have  afforded  us  convenient  places  of  hab- 
itation, a  shelter  from  the  insults  of  inclement  sea- 
sons, and  opened  a  commercial  and  friendly  inter- 
course between  the  remotest  nations  of  the  globe. 

By  the  Art  of  Building,  the  human  race  has  been 
once  preserved  from  total  ruin  and  destruction. 
When  an  incensed  Deity  had  determined  to  pour 
his  vengeance  on  a  guilty  world,  a  safe  asylum  was 
provided  for  the  masonic  family  of  Noah;  and  whilst 
a  terrible  inundation  was  sweeping  away  whole 
nations  of  the  polluted  children  of  men,  securely 
lodged  within  the  sacred  ark,  they  rode  triumphant 
on  the  dreadful  surface  of  an  angry  deep,  and  sup- 
ported by  the  same  Almighty  Being  who  dictated 
the  means  of  preservation,  they  braved  the  horrors 
of  the  midnight  tempest  till  safely  landed  at  the 
destined  period,  on  the  ever  memorable  mountain  pre- 
pared them  by  their  Sovereign  Master. 

The  condescension  of  an  Omnipotent  Being,  in 
deigning  to  converse  with  man,  and  giving  the 
most  minute  and  exact  directions  for  building  Him 
a  temple,  has  stamped  an  everlasting  dignity  upon 
the  Craft.  That  astonishing  edifice  which  was  con- 
secrated as  an  habitation  for  the  divine  glory,  was 
erected  under  the  immediate  inspection  of  God 
Himself,  and  the  symbolical  allusions  contained  in 
the  plan  of  it  are  thoroughly  known  and  compre- 
hended by  every  true  and  perfect  Brother. 

The  principles  of  Geometry,  established  in  the 
eternal  order  of  things 2  by  the  great  Jehovah,  were 


524  APPENDIX. 

in  the  creation  of  the  world  by  Him  applied  to  the 
proper  object  of  that  science.  The  ravishing  dis- 
play of  beauty  and  proportion  which  the  august 
scenery  of  nature  has  opened  to  our  view,  were 
upon  those  principles  educed  from  chaos  and  con- 
fusion,3 and  the  utility  of  them  has  been  practically 
acknowledged  from  Adam  to  us,  as  being  derived 
from  Him  "  who  has  measured  the  waters  in  the 
hollow  of  his  hand,  and  meted  out  heaven  with  the 
span,  and  comprehended  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  a 
measure,  and  weighed  the  mountains  in  scales,  and 
the  hills  in  a  balance." 

An  art  so  useful  in  the  common  purposes  of  life, 
an  art  to  which  we  owe  the  preservation  of  our 
species  from  perdition ;  in  fine,  an  art  which  has 
so  remarkably  engaged  the  attention  of  the  Omnis- 
cient Mind,  can  need  no  further  arguments  to  rec- 
ommend it  to  the  esteem  of  every  judicious  and 
sensible  Free  Mason. 

Wherever  we  turn  our  eyes  —  whether  to  survey 
the  unnumbered  worlds  that  roll  along  the  azure 
arch  of  heaven,  and  to  descry  the  order  and  har- 
mony of  their  respective  tracts  and  revolutions,  or 
more  humbly  advert  to  the  variety  of  substances 
furnished,  in  such  an  infinite  diversity  of  forms,  by 
the  globe  we  inhabit  —  the  wisdom  and  goodness  we 
discover  in  their  author  must  fill  the  human  mind 
with  rapture  and  surprise,  and  enkindle  within  us 
the  most  ardent  desire  (so  far  as  the  weakness  of 
our  constitutions  will  admit)  of  imitating  those  per- 
fections from  which  they  all  proceed. 

This  exquisite  order  and  relation  of  things  in  the 


A    CHARGE.  525 

natural  world,  are  to  be  considered  as  bearing  an 
analogical  reference  to  the  moral.  The  material 
objects  that  present  themselves  to  our  senses  are 
the  types  of  ideas  preexisting  in  the  mind  of  the 
Supreme  Being.  Our  ideas,  therefore,  of  beauty, 
harmony,  and  proportion,  arising  from  the  contem- 
plation of  the  systems  that  surround  us,  must  be  in 
some  degree  correspondent  to  those  of  their  divine 
author.  For  as  the  sovereign  Creator  of  the  uni- 
verse must,  previous  to  the  exertion  of  his  creative 
power,  have  conceived  of  a  certain  fitness  in  par- 
ticular dispositions  of  matter  to  answer  the  ends 
designed,  and  must  have  adopted  that  one  which 
of  all  possible  systems  was  the  best,  therefore,  it 
follows  that  the  order  and  constitution  of  the  things 
which  are  seen  are  the  images  and  representations 
of  the  infinite  source  of  harmony  and  proportion^ 
From  these  attributes  of  the  Deity  we  may  directly 
infer  that  the  same  principles  prevail  in  the  imma- 
terial and  moral  world. 

One  of  the  most  extensive  laws  of  matter  is  that 
of  gravitation,  and  the  action  of  this  power  is  most 
conspicuously  directed  towards  the  greatest  body, 
equally  within  the  sphere  of  attraction ;  so  the  most 
extensive  principle  of  spirit  is  that  of  approaching 
towards  the  great  centre  of  light  and  perfection:' 

The  sun  is  the  grand  luminary  to  which  our 
whole  system  is  perpetually  gravitating,  and  the 
beauty  and  even  existence  of  this  system  depends 
upon  a  mutual  attraction  between  the  bodies  that 
compose  it. 

The  principle   analogous  to   this  in   the   moral 


526  APPENDIX. 

world  is  that  universal  benevolence  which  takes  in  the 
whole  scale  of  animate  beings  for  its  object.6 

A  mutual  sympathy,  especially  between  creatures 
constituted  by  the  same  hand,  with  the  same  wants 
and  destined  to  the  same  ends,7  is,  when  the  mind 
is  divested  of  prejudice,  as  natural  an  affection 
of  intelligent  beings  as  gravitation  is  of  matter. 
The  various  passions  of  the  human  breast  may,  by 
an  undue  operation,  divert  the  direction  of  this 
principle  from  the  only  course  in  which  true  hap- 
piness consists ;  but  as  the  nice  adjustment  of  pro- 
portion between  the  protective  and  attractive  powers 
of  the  heavenly  bodies  is  rendered  conducive  to 
their  beauty  and  preservation,  so  our  passions,  prop- 
erly controlled  by  the  exercise  of  our  rational  fact 
ulties,  instead  of  interrupting  the  harmony  of  the 
soul,  may  become  highly  subservient  thereto.8 

'Tis  the  business  of  a  free  and  accepted  Mason  to 
reduce  them  to  subjection,  to  square  his  life  by  the 
rules  of  reason  and  religion,  to  live  within  compass 
ivith  all  mankind ;  and  by  his  own  example  to  rec- 
ommend the  divine  principles  of  brotherly  love,  relief, 
and  truth. 

A  building,  however  beautiful  the  materials,  unless 
the  parts  are  nicely  adapted  to  each  other,  must  be 
but  very  imperfect,  and  without  a  connecting  medium 
to  retain  them  in  union,  must  shortly  fall  to  ruin  and 
decay;  so  unless  we  cheerfully  conform  to  the  objects 
of  each  other's  happiness,  and  connect  ourselves  by 
the  cementing  principles  of  brotherly  love,  we  shall  fall 
an  easy  and  unpitied  prey  to  the  destroying  ills  of 
life. 


A    CHARGE.  527 

Cheerily !  0  Friendship,  dost  thou  enable  us  to 
travel  the  rough  and  thorny  paths  of  our  terrestrial 
pilgrimage.  Lonely  and  solitary  should  we  pass 
an  uncomfortable  vale  of  tears  without  thee  ;  nor 
would  even  these  enchanting  beauties  of  creation  be 
able  to  excite  a  single  smile.  A  bosom  glowing 
with  universal  good  will  to  men  is  the  native  soil  of 
every  genuine  and  social  virtue.  The  heart  that 
does  not  feel  its  influence  and  energy  is  a  real 
monster,  and  utterly  unworthy  of  our  esteem  and 
confidence.  And  let  me  here  particularly  caution 
the  fair  who  have  this  day  honored  us  with  their 
presence  to  avoid  and  detest  the  man  who  wears 
it,  as  incapable  of  entertaining  those  finer  feelings 
of  the  soul  which  a  real  passion  and  sincere  attach- 
ment are  calculated  to  excite. 

A  Free  and  Accepted  Mason  can  never  be  insensible 
to  the  charms  of  that  part  of  our  species  without 
which  the  globe  itself  would  be  to  us  a  void;  nor 
can  we  forbear  to  avow  the  regret  we  feel  in  being 
deprived  of  their  society  in  our  lodges ;  but  as  it 
would  give  us  infinite  pain  to  see  that  tender  sex 
encountering  the  fatigues  and  labors  of  the  masonic 
art?  we  console  ourselves  with  bestowing  upon 
them  the  fruits  arising  from  our  toils  and  indus- 
try, and  it  will  suffice  to  observe,  that  they  too 
well  know  the  relation  subsisting  between  friendship 
and  love ;  and  are  too  sensible  that  a  heart  which 
is  enraptured  with  the  symmetry  of  nature  cannot  be 
callous  to  the  more  captivating  charms  of  mental  vir- 
tue, to  admit  of  a  belief  that  want  of  confidence  in 
them  induced  their  exclusion. 


528  APPENDIX. 

To  conform  the  heart  and  manners  to  the  refined 
sentiments  of  a  virtuous  mind  ;  to  warm  the  soul 
with  the  real  feelings  of  humanity ;  in  fine,  to  merit 
the  esteem  and  favor  of  the  fair ;  to  soothe  their 
cares  and  mitigate  their  pains,  are  amongst  the 
great  objects  of  our  noble  institution;  and  it  is  a 
sacred  truth  that  the  more  sublime  the  degrees 
to  which  we  attain  in  Free  Masonry,  the  more 
highly  shall  we  admire  their  excellences,  and  the 
more  zealously  employ  our  efforts  in  their  service. 

Who  is  there,  then,  that  is  fully  convinced  of  the 
truths  I  have  advanced,  and  does  not  feel  the 
strongest  inclination  to  become  a  proficient  in  so 
useful  an  art  ?  As  the  most  efficacious  means  for 
promoting  that  end,  I  shall  subjoin  a  word  of  ad- 
vice to  you,  my  much  esteemed  brethren  of  the  craft. 

Above  all  things,  let  me  seriously  and  solemnly 
recommend  to  you,  my  brethren,  a  constant  and 
punctual  attendance  upon  the  summonses  of  the 
lodge.  However  light  we  may  conceive  the  crime 
of  remissness  in  this  respect,  we  are  most  certainly 
highly  culpable  in  suffering  the  commission  of  it. 

'Tis  impossible  to  construct  a  building  "fitly 
framed  together,"  without  a  due  correspondence 
with  each  other;  and  as  no  place  is  so  proper  for 
the  communication  of  the  mysteries  of  the  craft,  as 
a  regular  lodge,  we  should  industriously  improve 
every  opportunity  afforded  for  this  purpose. 

The  Constitutions  of  Free  Masonry  are  perhaps 
the  most  admirably  adapted  to  the  promotion  of 
regularity  and  harmony  in  a  society,  that  were  ever 
invented  by  human  sagacity.  A  strict  attention  to 


A    CHARGE.  529 

them,  therefore,  is  our  indispensable  duty ;  and  as 
it  can  never  fail  to  produce  the  greatest  advantage 
to  every  individual,  as  well  as  to  the  craft  at  large, 
it  is  also  our  true  and  greatest  interest  and  honor. 
In  justice  to  the  fraternity  in  general,  it  must  be 
observed,  that  however  a  few  individuals  may  have 
disgraced  their  characters,  no  body  of  men  were 
ever  assembled  together  for  social  purposes  who  ob- 
served a  greater  degree  of  decency  and  decorum 
at  their  meetings  than  Free  and  Accepted  Masons. 

That  we  may  still  continue  to  merit  this  enco- 
mium, let  us  be  carefully  attentive  to  the  admission 
of  candidates,  and  let  no  considerations  whatever 
engage  us  to  introduce  to  our  lodge  a  man  of  base 
and  sordid  principles.  He  who  is  in  a  state  of 
slavery  to  his  passions  or  maimed  and  deformed  by 
the  confirmed  habitudes  of  vice,  as  he  never  can 
be  SL  free,  so  ought  he  never  to  be  an  accepted  Mason ; 
and  the  same  caution  should  be  used  to  avoid  con- 
ferring any  promotion  in  degrees,  but  after  due  pro- 
bation, trial,  and  examination. 

By  a  proper  attention  to  the  regulations  of  our 
society,  we  shall  be  taught  also  to  revere  and  re- 
spect those  of  our  brethren  whom  we  have  dignified 
with  the  badges  of  the  highest  offices  in  the  lodge ; 
to  their  exertions  we  owe  the  establishment  of  the 
ancient  lodyc  situated  in  this  place,  after  the  ravages 
of  war  had  for  a  considerable  time  interrupted  the 
social  and  edifying  intercourse  of  the  brethren;  and 
under  the  auspices  of  our  most  ivorshipful  Brother 
who  now  fills  the  chair  of  Solomon,  we  have  seen 
it,  like  the  ashes  of  the  Phoenix,  renew  its  beauty 

34 


530  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN. 

and  flourishing  in  all  its  pristine  dignity  and  glory, 
Long  may  he  continue  to  govern  and  instruct  these 
lodges,  and  see  them  emulate  his  zeal. 

To  conclude ;  may  the  great  Architect  of  Na- 
ture and  the  Supreme  Grand  Master  of  the  Universe 
ever  preside  in  our  assemblies;  and  whilst  we 
sit  around  the  social  hoard  in  celebration  of  this 
annual  festival,  may  peace,  and  harmony,  and  myrth 
abound :  — 

"  For  God  is  paid  when  man  receives. 
To  enjoy  is  to  obey" 


AN   ORATION, 

DELIVERED    JULY    4,    1783. 

A  T  a  meeting  of  the  Freeholders  and  other  in- 
"^^  habitants  of  the  Town  of  Boston,  duly  quali- 
fied and  legally  warned,  in  Public  Town  Meeting 
assembled,  July  5,  1783  :  — 

Voted,  That  John  Scollay,  Esq.,  Harbottle  Dorr,  Esq.,  Mr. 
Thomas  Grenough,  Ezekiel  Price,  Esq.,  Capt.  William  Mackay, 
Tuthill  Hubbart,  Esq.,  and  David  Jeffries,  Esq.,  the  Selectmen, 
be  a  committee  to  wait  on  Dr.  John  Warren,  and  in  the  name  of 
the  Town  to  thank  him  for  the  learned  and  elegant  ORATION 
delivered  by  him  yesterday  at  the  request  of  the  Town,  upon  the 
Anniversary  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America, 
in  which,  according  to  the  intention  of  the  Town,  he  considered 
the  Feelings,  Manner,  and  Principles  which  led  to  this  great 
National  event,  and  to  request  of  him  a  Copy  thereof  for  the 
Press.  Attest,  WILLIAM  COOPER,  Town  Cleric. 

GENTLEMEN  :  On  condition  that  the  honesty  of  my  intentions 
and  the  warmth  of  my  feelings  on  the  important  event,  which 
was  the  subject  of  this  oration,  may  be  admitted  to  atone  for  the 
imperfections  of  the  performance,  I  deliver  a  copy  of  it  for  the 
Press.  I  am,  with  the  greatest  respect, 

Your  obedient  servant, 

JOHN  WARREN. 

FATHERS,  BRETHREN,  AND  FELLOW  CITIZENS  :  — 

To  mark  with  accuracy  and  precision  the  prin- 
ciples from  which  the  great  and  important  trans- 
actions on  the  theatre  of  the  political  world  origin- 


532    '  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

ate,  is  an  indispensable  duty,  not  only  of  legislators, 
but  of  every  subject  of  a  free  State.  Fraught  with 
the  most  instructive  lessons  on  the  passions  that 
actuate  the  human  breast,  the  inquiry  is  amply 
adapted  to  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  social  con- 
cerns of  life. 

The  law  and  penalties  by  which  subjects  are 
compelled  to  promote  the  general  interests  of  a 
community,  should  ever  be  instituted  with  a  special 
reference  to  these  principles,  and  the  greatest  per- 
fection of  human  government  consists  in  the  ju- 
diciousness of  this  application. 

The  constitution,  or  frame  of  government,  in  a 
republican  State,  is  circumscribed  by  barriers, 
which  the  ambitious  or  designing  cannot  easily  re- 
move, without  giving  the  alarm  to  those  whose 
privileges  might  be  infringed  by  the  innovation ; 
but  that  the  principles  of  administration  may  be 
grossly  corrupted,  that  the  people  may  be  abused 
and  enslaved  under  the  best  of  constitutions,  is  a 
truth  to  which  the  annals  of  the  world  may  be  ad- 
duced to  bear  a  melancholy  attestation. 

So  silently  have  the  advances  of  arbitrary  power 
been  made,  that  a  community  has  often  been  on 
the  verge  of  misery  and  servitude,  whilst  all  was 
calm  and  tranquil  in  the  State. 

To  revert  to  first  principles  is  so  essentially  req- 
uisite to  public  happiness  and  safety,  that  Polybius 
has  laid  it  down  as  an  incontrovertible  axiom  that 
every  state  must  decline  more  or  less  rapidly,  in 
proportion  as  she  recedes  from  the  principles  on 
which  she  was  founded.10 


AN    ORATION.  533 

That  virtue  is  the  true  principle  of  republican 
governments  n  has  been  sufficiently  proved  by  the 
ablest  writers  on  the  subject;  and  that  whereas 
other  forms  of  government  may  be  supported 
without  her,  yet  that  in  this  she  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  their  existence. 

A  general  prevalence  of  that  love  for  our  coun- 
try, which  teaches  us  to  esteem  it  glorious  to  die 
in  her  defence,  is  the  only  means  of  perpetuating 
the  enjoyment  of  that  liberty  and  security,  for  the 
support  of  which  all  government  was  originally 
intended. 

Laws  and  punishments  are  but  the  ensigns  of 
human  depravity  ;  to  render  them  as  few  as  the 
public  safety  will  admit,  is  the  study  of  every  wise, 
humane  legislature.12  The  happy  instances  of  this 
noble  passion,  by  precluding  the  necessity  of  a 
multiplicity  of  laws,  will  free  a  people  from  those 
spectacles  of  misery  and  horror,  which  the  penal- 
ties annexed  to  the  breach  of  them  must  inevitably 
create. 

The  contempt  of  dangers,  and  of  death,  when 
liberty  was  the  purchase,  has  been  the  means  of 
elevating  to  the  highest  pitch  of  glory  those  famed 
republics  of  antiquity,  which  later  ages  have  con- 
sidered as  the  models  of  political  perfection.  In- 
structed from  early  infancy  to  deem  themselves 
the  property  of  the  State,  they  were  ever  ready  to 
sacrifice  their  concerns  to  her  interests.  "  Dear  to 
us,"  says  the  eloquent  Cicero,  "  dear  to  us  are  our 
parents,  dear  are  our  children,  our  neighbors  and 
associates;  but  above  all  things,  dear  is  our  coun- 


534  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

try." 13  The  injuries  that  are  done  to  an  individual 
are  limited ;  those  to  a  community  may  involve 
millions  in  destruction." 

"  It  is  impossible  not  to  love  a  patriot ;  it  is  only 
loving  him  who  loves  us."14  It  is  impossible  not  to 
be  charmed  with  the  influence  of  those  divine  sen- 
timents, which  induced  the  brave  Decii  to  devote 
themselves  to  certain  death,  that  they  might  insure 
the  Roman  armies  victory  and  glory. 

The  celebrated  story  of  the  two  Carthaginian 
brethren,  who  consented  to  be  buried  alive,  to  in- 
crease the  boundaries  of  their  country,  shows  to 
what  an  enthusiastic  height  this  virtue  may  be 
carried. 

Amongst  the  Spartans,  to  return  from  the  field 
of  battle  with  or  upon  their  shields,  was  equally 
glorious,  and  subject  of  joy  and  acclamation ;  to 
escape  without  them,  an  indelible  mark  of  infamy 
and  disgrace. 

From  public  spirit  proceeds  almost  every  other 
virtue.  The  man  who  would  willingly  die  to  save 
his  country,  would  surely  sacrifice  his  fortune  and 
possessions  to  secure  her  peace  and  happiness.  The 
noble  examples  of  frugality  which  were  exhibited 
in  the  conduct  of  the  Spartan  governors,  who  began 
the  reformation  of  the  state  by  delivering  up  their 
own  private  property,  to  convince  the  citizens  that 
their  intentions  were  sincere,  is  a  proof  how  much 
it  may  be  made  to  triumph  over  avarice  and  self- 
ishness. 

The  Thebans,  under  the  matchless  Epaminondas, 
when  they  were  deserted  by  their  allies  and  re- 


AN   ORATION.  535 

duced  to  the  greatest  extremities,  were,  by  the 
wise  example  of  their  general,  and  frequent  skir- 
mishes with  the  enemy,  inspired  with  a  spirit  of 
enterprise  and  bravery,  which  at  length  enabled 
them  to  vanquish  thrice  their  number  of  Lacedae- 
monian troops,  and  having  slain  their  general,  to 
march  in  hostile  array  to  the  very  gates  of  Sparta. 

These  are  the  principles  which  have  more  or  less 
animated  the  subjects  of  every  state  that  has  ar- 
rived at  any  considerable  degree  of  opulence  and 
grandeur  ;  and  it  is  of  the  greatest  use  to  observe 
how  others  have  gradually  crept  into  governments, 
and  suppressed  or  eradicated  the  public  virtue  of  a 
people. 

Alas  !  to  what  amounts  the  summit  of  all  human 
greatness!  Sparta,  the  nurse  of  heroes  and  legis- 
lators ;  Athens,  the  seat  of  arts  and  sciences ;  Car- 
thage, the  mart  of  all  the  trading  nations;  and 
even  Rome,  the  haughty  mistress  of  the  world, 
have  all  long  since  been  levelled  with  the  dust !  Of 
all  the  states  and  cities  of  the  globe  that  have  ex- 
perienced the  like  catastrophe,  scarce  can  we  men- 
tion one  that  has  not  met  her  ruin  in  a  forgetful- 
ness  of  those  fundamental  principles  on  which  her 
happiness  depended. 

So  nearly  is  the  most  prosperous  condition  of  a 
people  allied  to  decay  and  ruin,  that  even  this  flat- 
tering appearance  conceals  the 15  seeds  that  must 
finally  produce  her  destruction. 

The  object  of  public  virtue  is  to  secure  the  liber- 
ties of  the  community.  A  security  of  liberty 
admits  of  every  man's  pursuing,  without  molesta- 


536  LIFE   OF    DR.   JOHN   WARREN. 

tion,  the  measures  most  likely  to  increase  his  ease, 
and  to  place  him  in  a  state  of  independent  affluence. 
Nothing  is  more  conducive  to  these  ends  than  a  free 
and  unlimited  commerce,  the  encouragement  of 
which  is  undoubtedly  the  duty  of  the  Common- 
wealth ;  and  the  feelings  of  humanity  are,  in  a 
general  sense,  highly  interested  in  the  prosecution 
of  it. 

Commercial  intercourse  and  connection  have 
perhaps  contributed  more  towards  checking  the 
effusion  of  blood  than  all  the  obligations  of  morality 
and  religion,  in  their  usual  state  of  debility,  could 
ever  have  effected.16 

The  ideas  of  conquest  and  destruction  amongst 
the  ancients  were  commonly  comprehended  under 
the  same  term,  and  torrents  of  human  blood  have 
been  shed  to  gratify  a  spirit  of  revenge.  In  latter 
times,  the  views  of  almost  every  powerful  nation 
with  whom  civilization  has  been  the  effect  of  trade, 
have  been  directed  to  the  support  of  that  political 
balance,  upon  which  this  intercourse  depends. 

In  the  quarrel  between  the  Swedes  and  Danes,  a 
short  time  previous  to  the  restoration  of  Charles 
the  Second  of  England,  and  again  in  the  reign  of 
William  the  Third,  the  Dutch  and  the  English  sent 
their  fleets  into  the  Baltic,  to  prevent  those  incon- 
veniences that  would  have  resulted  to  the  com- 
merce of  the  maritime  powers  had  either  of  those 
kingdoms  been  destroyed ;  and  the  same  thing  has 
taken  place  in  the  general  wars  against  France.17 

Considered,  then,  as  an  instrument  for  lessening 
the  calamities  of  war,  humanity  must  ever  exult  in 


AN   ORATION.  537 

the  countenance  given  to  trade.  The  immediate 
effect  of  it,  when  extensive,  is  usually  an  augmen- 
tation of  wealth ;  but  as  it  is  generally  impossible 
for  every  subject  to  acquire  a  great  degree  of  opu- 
lence, the  riches  of  the  state  become  accumulated 
in  the  coffers  of  a  few.18  The  passions  of  the  great 
almost  invariably  extend  to  the  body  of  the  people, 
who,  to  gratify  an  unbounded  thirst  for  gain,  are 
ready  to  sacrifice  any  other  blessing  to  that  which 
in  any  degree  furnishes  them  with  the  means  of 
imitating  their  superiors.  Bribery  and  venality, 
the  grand  engines  of  slavery,  have  been  called  in 
to  the  assistance  of  the  aspiring  nobles,  who,  in  this 
case,  never  fail  to  make  the  deluded  people  pay 
them  the  full  price  of  their  prostitution. 

This  accession  of  power,  acquired  by  the  consent 
of  the  people  themselves,  enables  their  governors 
to  assume  the  reins  of  absolute  control,  to  burst  all 
the  bounds  of  social  obligation,  and  finally  to  extort 
by  violence  what  formerly  they  were  obliged  to 
purchase.  Accustomed  to  a  habit  of  sloth  and  idle- 
ness, the  subjects  are  rendered  too  effeminate  to 
apply  themselves  to  labor  and  fatigue ;  or  if  they 
do  it,  are  soon  discouraged  by  the  rapaciousness  of 
their  rulers ;  a  spirit  of  faction  and  uneasiness  be- 
comes generally  prevalent.  Impressed  with  that 
awful  respect  with  which  the  trappings  of  wealth 
universally  inspire  a  people  that  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  view  it  as  the  measure  of  human  felicity, 
they  are  too  pusillanimous  to  relieve  themselves 
from  their  burden  by  a  united  effort  of  the  whole,19 
and  the  only  object  of  intestine  commotion  is  the 


538  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN. 

• 

plunder  of  the  rich,  that  they  may  sell  the  acquisi- 
tion to  the  highest  bidder.  Insurrections  of  this 
kind  are  most  commonly  easily  suppressed,  and 
further  impositions  are  forever  the  consequence. 

The  extortion  exercised  on  the  earnings  of  the 
laborer  is  an  effectual  check  upon  the  pursuit  of 
agriculture.20  Population  universally  in  a  great 
measure  proportionable  thereto,  being  by  this 
means  limited  and  discouraged,  the  number  of  sub- 
jects, the  real  source  of  health  and  support,  daily 
diminishes,  till  at  length  they  fall  an  easy  prey  to 
the  first  despot,  whether  foreign  or  domestic,  who 
offers  them  the  yoke.  Such  is  the  fatal  operation 
of  luxury,  almost  invariably  the  consequence  of 
unbounded  wealth.21 

The  Carthaginians,  says  Montague,22  stand  single 
upon  the  records  of  history,  the  only  people  in  the 
universe  upon  whom  immense  wealth  has  never 
been  able  to  work  its  usual  effects;  but  even  in 
this  instance  it  may  perhaps  reasonably  be  ques- 
tioned, whether  the  factions  that  prevented  the 
illustrious  Hannibal  from  entering  the  gates  of 
Rome,  whilst  he  had  filled  that  city  with  terror  and 
dismay,  were  not  the  effect  of  opulence  and  loss  of 
public  virtue  ?  The  introduction  of  wealth  in  the 
Roman  republic  is  dated  at  the  conquest  of  Antio- 
chus  the  Great,  and  the  era  of  corruption  from  the 
same  memorable  period.  What  sluices  of  depravity 
and  misery  did  they  not  open  in  the  State !  That 
senate  which  once  resembled  an  assembly  of  kings, 
whose  rigid  faith  had  rendered  them  the  objects  of 
universal  veneration,  whilst  frugality  and  patriotism 


AN    ORATION.  539 

were  held  in  estimation,  can  now  meanly  stoop  to 
avail  themselves  of  a  quibble  in  the  terms  of  a 
treaty,  to  destroy  a  city  they  had  pledged  their 
honor  to  preserve.  That  senate,  from  which  a 
single  deputy  had  once  caused  a  mighty  monarch 
to  tremble  and  obey,  and  barely  by  the  motion  of 
his  cane  obliged  him,  at  the  head  of  a  victorious 
army,  to  resign  his  conquest,  can  now  condescend 
to  flatter  the  vilest  passions,  and  bear  to  be  insulted 
with  the  most  humiliating  usage  without  daring  to 
murmur  or  complain. 

The  unparalleled  usurpations  of  Sylla,  Marius, 
and  Caesar,  are  but  variegated  forms  in  which  are 
exhibited  the  baneful  effects  of  that  adulatory  sub- 
mission with  which  a  base,  degenerate,  and  cor- 
rupted people  have  become  the  instruments  of  tyr- 
anny and  murder.  The  bloody  proscriptions  and 
licensed  executions  of  those  pests  of  the  human 
race,  which  have  disgraced  the  Roman  name,  were 
generally  accompanied  with  the  thanks  of  the 
Senate.  Jugurtha,  that  infamous  Numidian  Prince, 
who  ungratefully  murdered  the  children  of  his 
benefactor,  in  this  corrupted  age  of  the  republic 
secures  himself  from  the  punishment  due  to  his 
crimes  by  bribing  his  judges,  and  by  the  same 
means  enables  himself  to  enter  the  Roman  camp, 
and  make  that  army,  whose  force  he  once  had 
dreaded,  submit  to  pass  the  yoke,  the  most  igno- 
minious punishment  that  could  have  been  inflicted. 

The  Roman  Provinces  would  never  so  generally 
have  submitted  to  the  impositions  of  their  rapacious 
governors  had  not  the  minds  of  the  people  been 


540  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

prepared  for  them  by  their  participation  in  the 
manners  of  the  citizens. 

When  once  a  state  has  arrived  to  this  extreme 
degree  of  corruption,  nothing  short  of  a  miracle 
can  wrest  it  from  destruction.  Luxury  and  venality 
become  a  branch  of  education ;  and  as  nothing  can 
operate  so  strongly  on  the  minds  of  youth  as  exam- 
ples set  by  parental  authority,23  the  evil  becomes 
ingrafted  into  the  opinions  of  the  people.  Whilst 
the  Spartan  Republic  retained  her  virtue,  she  was 
free  and  invincible.  She  made  the  mighty  army  of 
the  Persian  monarch  flee  before  her ;  and  with  three 
hundred  soldiers  stopped  the  march  of  more  than 
three  millions  of  men ;  with  the  exception  only  of 
a  single  man,  they  died  in  the  contest,  with  their 
arms  in  their  hands,  and  a  magnificent  monument 
was  erected  to  their  memory,  with  an  inscription 
which  comprehends  the  finest  eulogium :  "  Go, 
traveller,  and  tell  at  Lacedaemon  that  we  died  here 
in  defence  of  her  sacred  laws."  Philopoemen,  the 
general  of  the  Achaeans,  was  so  fully  persuaded  that 
the  only  means  of  reducing  this  brave  people  to 
subjection  and  dependence  was  to  eradicate  the 
principle  of  public  virtue,  that  he  attempted  it 
by  endeavoring  to  change  the  manner  of  their 
education.24  A  change  was  afterwards  effected,  a 
taste  for  luxury  inculcated,  Athens  subjected  to 
her  arms,  her  spoils  and  riches  seized  with  greedi- 
ness, corruption  ensued,  and  ruin  closed  the  drama. 

We  are  charmed  with  the  noble  exertions  of  the 
United  Provinces  in  their  opposition  to  despotic 
government,  yet  how  soon  are  we  astonished  to  see 


AN   ORATION.  541 

that  brave  people  in  the  greatest  danger  of  a  total 
subjection,  from  that  passion  for  commerce  which, 
by  attracting  their  whole  attention,  and  confining 
their  views  to  the  objects  of  gain,  induced  them, 
that  they  might  not  be  interrupted  in  their  favor- 
ite pursuits,  to  confide  in  foreign  mercenaries  for 
their  defence  and  protection.25  Such  was  the  gen- 
eral depravity  of  morals  at  one  unhappy  period  of 
the  republic,  that  their  excellent  Stadtholder,  the 
Prince  of  Orange  and  Nassau,  exhibited  the  most 
brilliant  virtues  to  little  other  purpose  than  to  con- 
vince himself  and  the  world  that  loss  of  public 
virtue  is  an  infallible  mark  of  real  or  approaching 
declension.26 

The  republic  of  Venice,  which  for  twelve  cen- 
turies has  maintained  her  freedom  and  independ- 
ence, and  which  has  been  independently  a  match 
for  the  whole  Ottoman  Power,  has  preserved  her- 
self solely  by  her  wise  maxims  of  legislation, 
founded  on  the  first  principles  of  her  government. 

The  thirteen  independent  cantons  of  Switzerland, 
preserved  from  slavery  by  resistance  to  tyranny, 
retain  the  same  unchangeable  character  for  sim- 
plicity, honesty,  frugality,  and  modesty,  with  which 
they  first  set  out.27  It  would  be  endless  to  enu- 
merate all  the  instances  that  might  be  offered  of 
the  miseries  and  wretchedness  that  have  been 
heaped  on  mankind  by  a  general  adoption  of  the 
contrary  qualities.  We  need  but  advert  to  the  his- 
tory of  that  nation,  whose  extreme  degeneracy  has 
induced  them  to  acquiesce  in  those  enormous  im- 
positions, which  a  braver  people  have  resisted  at 


542  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN. 

the  hazard  of  their  lives  and  fortunes,  and  even  to 
become  the  willing  tools  for  enforcing  a  servile 
subjection  upon  those  whom  they  were  bound  by 
ties  of  blood  to  love  and  succor. 

That  we  may  learn  wisdom  by  the  misfortunes 
of  others  —  that  by  tracing  the  operation  of  those 
causes  which  have  proved  ruinous  to  so  many  states 
and  kingdoms,  we  may  escape  the  rocks  and  quick- 
sands on  which  they  have  been  shipwrecked  —  it 
may  be  useful  to  take  a  cursory  retrospect  of  the 
motives  and  opinions  which  have  effected  the  dis- 
memberment of  a  very  large  and  valuable  part  of 
the  British  dominions,  and  thereby  deprived  them 
of  .a  principal  source  of  strength  and  greatness. 
Under  a  constitution  which  has  ever  been  the 
boast  of  Englishmen,  we  have  seen  a  most  shame- 
ful prostitution  of  wealth  to  the  purposes  of  bribery 
and  corruption,  with  a  view  still  farther  to  augment 
that  opulence  of  individuals,  which,  when  exorbi- 
tant, must  always  be  injurious  to  the  common  in- 
terest.28 

We  have  seen  the  members  of  a  House  of  Com- 
mons, which  was  once  the  bulwark  of  the  nation 
and  the  palladium  of  liberty,  avail  themselves  of 
the  meanest  artifices  for  securing  a  seat,  because  it 
enabled  them  to  gratify  their  favorite  passions;  and, 
shame  to  human  nature !  we  have  seen  a  people, 
once  famed  for  honesty  and  temperance,  intoxicated 
at  the  gambols  of  an  election,  and  stupidly  selling 
their  suffrages  for  representatives  in  Parliament! 

The  whole  business  of  government  had  become 
an  affair  of  trade  and  calculation ;  the  representa- 


AN   ORATION.  •     543 

tive  who  expended  his  property  for  the  purchase 
of  a  vote,  was  sure  to  make  his  profits  by  the  sale 
of  his  influence  for  the  support  of  ministerial  prod- 
igality, or  absolute  domination ;  and  to  extend  the 
security  with  which  the  members  might  plunder 
the  people  and  trample  on  their  rights,  the  pro- 
longation of  their  parliaments  to  a  term  of  time 
sufficient  to  inveterate  their  power  was  at  length 
adopted,  for  the  purpose  of  riveting  those  chains 
which  an  undue  influence  in  elections  had  pre- 
viously forged.29 

Keligious  tyranny  had  forced  from  the  unnatural 
bosom  of  a  parent  a  race  of  hardy  sons,  who  chose 
rather  to  dwell  in  the  deserts  of  America,  with  the 
savage  natives,  than  in  the  splendid  habitations  of 
more  savage  men. 

Scarcely  had  these  persecuted  fugitives  breathed 
from  the  fatigues  of  a  dangerous  voyage,  when  be- 
hold the  cruel  hand  of  power  stretched  over  the 
Atlantic  to  distress  them  in  their  new  possessions  ! 
Having  found  a  rude,  uncultivated  soil,  inadequate 
to  the  supply  of  the  conveniences  of  life,  they30  at- 
tempted those  arts  of  which  they  stood  immedi- 
ately in  need ;  a  prohibition  of  the  manufactures 
necessary  to  clothe  them  in  these  then  inhospitable 
wilds,  was  early  threatened,  and  though  they  were 
afterwards  permitted,  yet  it  was  under  the  most 
humiliating  restrictions.31 

From  a  principle  of  avarice  and  the  most  unjus- 
tifiable partiality  in  prejudice  of  these  infant  settle- 
ments, all  commercial  communication  between  them 
was  forbidden;  the  importation  of  mercantile  arti- 


544     .  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

cles  was  laid  under  the  heaviest  restraints ;  none 
were  to  be  freighted,  not  even  the  produce  of  for- 
eign countries,  from  any  other  than  British  ports, 
and  all  exportations  were  finally  to  terminate  in 
Britain. 

The  manifest  object  of  these  measures  was  to 
enrich  some  crouching  favorites  at  home,  till  at 
length  plunged  into  debt,  even  in  the  midst  of  suc- 
cess and  conquest,  by  the  rapaciousness  of  an  insa- 
tiable ministry  and  a  general  corruption  of  man- 
ners, every  sinew  was  strained  amongst  their 
domestic  subjects  for  the  acquisition  of  a  large 
revenue ;  but  this  resource  having  been  found  in- 
sufficient for  the  purpose,  the  expenses  of  the  war, 
out  of  which  they  had  just  emerged,  were  made 
the  pretext  for  levying  taxes  on  the  unrepresented 
subjects  of  America.  The  first  requisition  for  the 
supply  of  an  army  was  too  readily  submitted  to, 
and  the  subsequent  acts  which  have  led  to  that 
war,  in  which  these  States  have  been  called  upon 
to  contend  for  everything  dear  in  life,  are  too  re- 
cent to  be  yet  forgotten  by  you,  my  fellow  citizens, 
on  whom  the  vengeance  they  were  designed  to  ex- 
ecute has  so  largely  fallen. 

The  mild  voice  of  supplication  and  petition 
had  in  vain  assailed  the  royal  ear,  the  blood  of 
your  fellow  countrymen  was  wantonly  shed  on  the 
memorable  plains  of  Lexington,  you  flew  to  arms, 
and  made  your  last  appeal  to  Heaven. 

Never  did  an  enthusiastic  ardor  in  the  cause  of 
an  injured  country  blaze  forth  with  such  resist- 
less fury,  never  did  patriotic  virtue  shine  out  with 


AN   ORATION.  545 

such  transcendent  lustre,  as  on  that  solemn  day ! 
Scarcely  was  there  to  be  seen  a  peasant  through 
the  land  "  whose  bosom  beat  not  in  his  country's 
cause."  Angels  must  have  delighted  in  the  sight ! 
A  wide  extended  country  roused  into  action  at  the 
first  flash  of  arms,  and  pouring  forth  her  thousands 
of  virtuous  yeomen  to  avenge  the  blood  of  their 
slaughtered  brethren  on  the  imprincipled  aggres- 
sors !  Quickly  they  fled  from  merited  destruction, 
and  fleeing,  shed  their  blood,  an  immolation  to  the 
beloved  manes  of  those  who  fell  the  early  martyrs 
to  this  glorious  cause.  You  then  convinced  deluded 
Britains  that  bravery  was  not  the  growth  of  any 
one  peculiar  spot  or  soil.32 

The  enterprise,  'tis  true,  was  bold  and  daring. 
The  nations  of  the  world  stood  still,  astonished  at 
the  desperate  blow  !  The  brave  alone  are  capable 
of  noble  actions.  Defenceless  and  unfurnished 
with  the  means  of  war,  you  placed  your  confidence 
in  the  God  of  armies,  who  approves  the  struggles 
of  the  oppressed ;  and  relying  on  the  honest  feel- 
ings of  the  heart  for  your  success,  you  ventured  to 
contend  with  veteran  armies,  and  to  defv  the  for- 

*  */ 

midable  power  of  a  nation  accustomed  to  success 
and  conquest. 

Your  guardian  genius  patronized  your  cause, 
presided  in  your  councils,  inspired  you  with  in- 
trepidity and  wisdom,  and  mysteriously  infatuated 
the  British  chiefs.  Protected  in  the  days  of  weak- 
ness and  of  danger  by  the  concealment  of  your 
real  wants,  the  boasted  wisdom  of  your  crafty  foe 
was  baffled  and  confounded. 

35 


546  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN. 

Through  all  the  various  fortunes  of  the  field,  you 
persevered  with  an  undaunted  front,  and   whilst 
your     coasts    were   swarming    with     fleets,    full 
freighted  with  the  choicest  legions  of  the  enemy 
—  a  force  that  would  have  stiffened  with  despair  a 
less  determined  people  —  you  dared  to   pass  the 
irrevocable    decree    that  forever   cut  asunder  the 
ties  that  bound  you  to  a  cruel  parent,  assumed  your 
rank  among  the  nations  of  the  world,  and  insti- 
tuted a  new  epoch  in  the  annals  of  your  country. 
With  solemn  oaths  you  pledged  your  sacred  honor 
to   die    united   in  defence  of  your  much  injured 
rights,  or  live  in  virtuous  possession  of  peace,  of 
liberty,  and  safety.      The   generations  yet  unborn 
shall  read  with   rapture  that  distinguished  page, 
whereon  in  capitals  shall  stand  recorded  the  impor- 
tant transaction  of  that  day,  and  celebrate  to  the 
latest  ages  of  this  republic  the  anniversary  of  that 
resolution  of  the  American  Congress,  which  gave 
the  rights  of  sovereignty  and  independence  to  these 
United  States. 

Long  may  they  retain  that  spirit  of  union  which 
has  enabled  them  to  withstand  the  mighty  force  of 
Britain,    and    never   be    persuaded    through    the 
artifice  of  their  enemies  to  violate  the  articles  of 
that  confederation  to  which  they  owe  their  liberty. 
Should   ever   the  constitutional  authority  of  the 
legal  representative  body  of  the  nation  be  annihi- 
lated, the  bond  of  union  will  be  dissolved,  and  we 
shall  be  reduced  to  the  greatest  hazard  of  misery 
and  subjection.33 

By  means  of  their  union  the  States,  alone  and 


AN    ORATION.  547 

unassisted,  have  vanquished  a  numerous  army  of 
brave  and  veteran  troops,  and  led  their  chief  a  cap- 
tive to  your  capital.  As  long  as  time  shall  last,  the 
noble  example  you  have  set  the  world  shall  be  pro- 
duced to  show  what  wonders  may  be  done  by  men, 
united  and  determined  to  be  free.34 

Your  virtue  has  supplied  the  place  of  wealth  in 
the  prosecution  of  the  war;  the  taxes  that  have 
been  levied  have  generally  been  submitted  to  with 
cheerfulness,  and  in  a  free  state,  where  the  people 
are  themselves  the  assessors,  so  far  were  they  from 
being  considered  a  grievance,  that  you  wisely  es- 
teemed them  as  the  symptoms  of  virtue,  because 
they  ever  evince  that  the  safety  of  the  public  is  the 
supreme  object  of  attention.35 

Nor  shall  the  powerful  aids  of  a  magnanimous 
ally  be  suffered  here  to  pass  unnoticed ;  the  gener- 
ous terms  on  which  assistance  and  support  were 
granted,  shall  leave  impressions  of  esteem  and 
friendship  which  time  and  age  shall  not  be  able 
to  efface.3f>  Under  the  conduct  of  37  One  illustrious 
general,  the  brave  allied  armies  have  together 
contended  for  the  rights  of  human  nature,  have 
mingled  blood,  conquered  a  formidable  host  of 
chosen  troops,  and  laid  the  British  standard  at  your 
feet™ 

At  length,  ye  favored  sons  of  freedom,  THE  GLORI- 
OUS WORK  is  DONE.39  Heralds  of  peace  !  proclaim  the 
joyful  tidings.  Let  the  remotest  corners  of  the 
globe  resound  with  acclamations  of  applause,  till 
even  the  inanimate  creation  shall  join  the  concert 
and  dance  to  more  sublime  than  Orphean  strains. 


548  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

Genius  of  Liberty,  rejoice,  for  Heaven  has  opened  a 
new  asylum  to  your  long  persecuted  sons.  Rejoice, 
ye  inhabitants  of  this  chosen  land  !  Let  songs  of 
joy  dwell  long  upon  your  thankful  tongues,  and 
notes  of  gratitude  to  Heaven  be  raised  on  ten 
thousand  strings,  till  angels  catch  the  sound,  and 
echo  back  PEACE  and  good  will  to  men !  Had  I  a 
thousand  tongues,  and  all  the  eloquence  of  Cicero 
or  Demosthenes,  too  feeble  were  my  accents,  too 
small  my  energy  for  this  transporting  theme  ! 

What  miseries  and  tortures  have  we  not  escaped  ! 
Go  search  the  records  of  tyranny  and  usurpation, 
and  learn  the  insolence  forever  consequent  on  the 
suppression  of  insurrections  in  the  behalf  of  violated 
rights  !  Agis,  the  brave  reformer  of  the  Spartan 
manners,  was  condemned  by  the  tyrant  who  owed 
his  life  to  him,  to  die  an  ignominious  death  for  an  un- 
successful opposition  to  the  torrent  of  vice  which 
had  overwhelmed  that  republic.  A  fond  and  anxious 
mother  presented  at  the  door  of  his  prison  a  peti- 
tion that  her  son  might  be  indulged  with  a  hearing 
before  the  people.  The  unfeeling  minister  of 
cruelty  had  already  perpetrated  the  execrable  deed, 
and  sneeringly  replied,  no  farther  injury  should  be 
done  him.  He  then  introduced  her  to  the  apart- 
ment where  laid  the  body  of  her  murdered  son, 
with  that  of  her  aged  mother  who  had  attended  her. 
Sensible  that  his  misfortunes  were  the  consequence 
of  lenity,  carried  to  a  degree  that  rendered  it  im- 
policy, she  could  not  forbear  kissing  the  bloody 
corpse,  and  uttering  aloud  the  sentiments  of  her 
soul.  In  the  midst  of  this  affecting  scene  that 


AN    ORATION.  549 

would  have  extorted  pity  from  a  savage  breast,  the 
ruffian,  exasperated  at  these  effusions  of  grief  as 
expressing  her  justification  of  his  conduct,  rushed 
on  his  distracted  mother,  and  plunged  his  dagger  in 
her  breast ! 

The  history  of  that  brave 40  and  honest  nation, 
whose  spirited  exertions  have  lately  extricated 
them  from  that  subjection  and  dependence  to 
which  the  arms  and  artifice  of  a  neighboring  king- 
dom had  reduced  them,  sufficiently  evinces  that 
resistance  to  arbitrary  power  needs  but  the  name 
of  rebellion  to  furnish  out  a  pretext  for  every  form 
of  violence  and  cruelty.  Often  have  the  scaffolds 
smoked  with  gore  poured  from  the  veins  of  pa- 
triots and  of  heroes,  and  the  destroying  sword  of 
despotism  been  drunk  with  the  richest  blood  of  a 
community  ! 

Had  conquest  crowned  the  efforts  of  our  enemies, 
numbers  of  our  worthy  patriots  had  now  been  bleed- 
ing under  the  vindictive  hand  of  a  successful  foe ; 
and  tve,  perhaps,  in  mines  or  dungeons,  been  drag- 
ging out  a  life  of  wretchedness,  and  weeping  in 
silence  over  the  memory  of  those  to  whom  were 
justly  due  the  applause  and  gratitude  of  every 
friend  to  liberty  and  virtue. 

What  a  contrast  to  this  frightful  picture  does 
the  joyfulness  of  the  occasion  which  has  this  day 
assembled  us  together  exhibit  to  our  view  !  Many 
of  these  illustrious  freemen  now  meet  us  here,  and 
mingle  tears  of  joy  and  gratitude  with  ours  ! 

Thousands  of  brave,  deserving  members  of  so- 
ciety have  fallen  an  untimely  prey  to  the  poisonous 


550  LIFE   OF   DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

exhalations  of  a  prison,  and  filthy  guardships  have 
been  the  charnel  houses  of  our  brethren.  Confined 
within  those  dreadful  regions  of  horror  and  despair, 
where  no  refreshing  breezes  ever  entered,  the 
tainted  element  itself  was  charged  with  pestilence 
and  death !  You  who  have  seen  the  helpless  vic- 
tim of  a  merciless  disease  groaning  under  the 
agonies  of  a  relentless  fever,  can  tell  what  epithets 
to  use  in  the  description  of  the  tortures  they  en- 
dured. Their  tongues  were  parched  with  raging 
heat ;  their  boiling  blood  scalded  the  very  veins  in 
which  they  circulated;  and  did  ye  then,  ye  min- 
isters of  wrath,  supply  a  single  cup  of  water  to  re- 
fresh their  thirsty  souls  ?  Verily,  ye  unworthy  off- 
spring of  a  Christian  land,  inasmuch  as  ye  did  it  not  to 
one  of  these,  ye  did  it  not  to  Him  who  shortly  will 
avenge  the  cause  of  innocence. 

But  smiling  peace  returns,  and  death  and  car- 
nage shall  prevail  no  more  to  swell  the  numbers  of 
the  slain.  We  wish  not,  Britons,  too  severely  to 
upbraid  you  ;  we  only  mean  to  hold  you  up  as  an 
example  to  the  world,  from  which  the  best  of  les- 
sons may  be  learned. 

Let  us,  however,  contemplate  those  unfictitious 
scenes  of  misery  and  distress,  which  an  arduous 
struggle  for  our  liberties  has  cost  us ;  let  us  re- 
member the  principles  that  produced  the  oppo- 
sition, as  well  as  those  that  gave  occasion  for  it, 
and  then  if  we  can  tamely  bear  to  see  our  liberties 
destroyed,  let  us  flee,  guickly  flee,  from  these  yet 
hallowed  shores,  nor  dare  pollute  the  land  which 
holds  our  fathers'  tombs*1 


AN    ORATION.  \   551 

A  time  of  tranquillity  and  peace  is  often  a  season 
of  the  greatest  danger,42  because  it  is  too  apt  to  in- 
volve a  general  opinion  of  perfect  security.  The 
Roman  State,  whilst  Carthage  stood  her  rival,  re- 
tained her  virtue.  Carthage  was  destroyed,  and 
Rome  became  corrupt.43  Unless  we  are  properly 
apprised  of  and  duly  armed  against  this  evil, 
the  United  States  will  one  day  experience  a  similar 
fate. 

Transported  from  a  distant  clime  less  friendly  to 
its  nature,  you  have  planted  here  the  stately  Tree 
of  Liberty,  and  lived  to  see  it  flourish !  But  whilst 
you  pluck  the  fruit  from  the  bending  branches,  re- 
member that  its  roots  were  watered  with  your  blood! 
Remember  the  price  at  which  you  purchased  it, 
"  nor  barter  liberty  for  gold." 

Go  search  the  vaults  where  lay  enshrined  the 
relics  of  your  martyred  fellow-citizens,  and  from 
their  dust  receive  a  lesson  on  the  value  of  your 
freedom !  When  virtue  fails,  when  luxury  and 
corruption  shall  undermine  the  pillars  of  the  state, 
and  threaten  a  total  loss  of  liberty  and  patriotism, 
then  solemnly  repair  to  those  sacred  repositories  of 
the  dead,  and,  if  you  can,  return  and  sport  away 
your  rights. 

When  you  forget  the  value  of  your  freedom, 
read  over  the  history  that  recounts  the  wounds 
from  which  your  country  bled ;  peruse  the  picture 
which  brings  back  to  your  imaginations,  in  the 
lively  colors  of  undisguised  truth,  the  wild,  dis- 
tracted feelings  of  your  hearts  !  But  if  your  happy 
lot  has  not  been  to  have  felt  the  pangs  of  a  con- 


552  LIFE   OF   DR.   JOHN   WARREN. 

vulsive  separation  from  friend  or  kindred,  learn  from 
those  that  have. 

Behold  the  hoary  head  of.  age,  descending  to  the 
grave  with  sorrow  and  despair.  Pleased  with  en- 
chanting prospects,  in  a  son  with  whom  his  very 
soul  was  bound  together  —  a  son  who  promised  to 
have  been  the  stay  and  staff  of  his  defenceless 
years — the  good  old  man  insensibly  declined,  along 
the  path  of  life,  and  scarcely  felt  the  weight  of 
threescore  years  and  ten;  .the  deadly  shaft  pierced 
through  the  bosom  of  his  hopes,  and  doomed  him 
to  breathe  out  the  residue  of  his  life  in  solitude 
and  wretchedness. 

Observe  the  youth  whose  parent,  guardian,  and  pro- 
tector, just  at  the  time  when  the  faculties  of  reason 
were  beginning  to  put  forth  their  buds,  and  court 
the  fostering  hand  of  culture,  snatched  from  their 
dutiful  embraces,  and  all  the  endearing  ties  of  life. 

But  if,  suspicious  of  a  counterfeit  grief,  you  seek 
an  instance  where  sorrow  cannot  be  feigned,  go  fol- 
low her  whose  streaming  eyes,  distracted  mien,  and 
bursting  heart,  announce  the  pangs  that  nature 
feels  in  the  sudden  and  violent  dissolution  of  the 
nearest  and  most  dear  connection. 

I  might  proceed,  —  but  permit  me  here  to  draw 
the  sable  veil,  and  leave  to  your  imaginations  to 
suggest  the  rest.  But  stay  —  forbear,  nor  longer 
mourn  for  those  who  have  no  cause  for  tears. 

"  Glory  with  all  her  lamps  shall  burn 

To  watch  the  warrior's  sleeping  clay, 
Till  the  last  trump  shall  raise  his  urn, 
To  share  the  triumphs  of  the  day." 


AN    ORATION.  553 

If  to  the  latest  ages  we  retain  the  spirit  which 
gave  our  INDEPENDENCE  birth ;  if,  taught  by  the 
fatal  evils  that  have  subverted  so  many  mighty 
states,  we  learn  to  sacrifice  our  dearest  interests  in 
our  country's  cause,  enjoin  upon  our  children  a 
solemn  veneration  for  her  laws,  as  next  to  adoration 
of  their  God,  the  great  concern  of  man,  and  seal  the 
precept  with  our  last  expiring  breath,  these  STARS 
that  even  now  enlighten  half  the  world,  shall  shine 
a  glorious  constellation  in  this  western  hemisphere, 
till  stars  and  suns  shall  shine  no  more,  and  all  the 
kingdoms  of  this  globe  shall  vanish  like  a  scroll. 


NOTES. 


The  motto  on  the  title-page  of  the  Charge  was  :  — 
Vibet  extento  Proculeius  cevo 
Notus  in  Fratres  animi  paterni  : 
Ilium  aget  Pennd  metuente  solvi 
Fama  superstes.  —  HORAT.  Carm.,  Ode  ii.,  Lib.  ii. 


1. 

Masonry,  considered  as  a  mechanic  art,  or  architecture,  which  by 
the  Craft  is  understood  to  be  implied  in  the  term,  has  too  generally 
been  esteemed  unworthy  the  attention  of  men  of  rank  and  letters. 

The  design  of  the  first  part  of  this  address  is  to  prove,  that  so  far 
as  respects  its  origin  and  utility,  we  have  every  reason  to  entertain 
sentiments  of  the  highest  regard  for  the  promotion  of  it.  This  point 
once  established,  it  will  be  easy  to  demonstrate  how  the  principles  of 
this  art  may  be  applied  to  a  still  higher  object,  that  of  beautifying  the 
soul  and  harmonizing  her  passions,  and  by  the  cultivation  of  the  social 
virtues,  of  advancing  the  perfection  of  the  one 

"  Stupendous  whole, 
Whose  body  nature  is  and  God  the  soul  !  " 

NOTE  2. 

There  is  nothing  immutable  but  Geometry,  all  things  else  undergo 
incessant  variation.  —  VOLTAIRE'S  Philosophy  of  History. 

NOTE  3. 

Nulli  .  .  .  forma  manebat 
Obstabatque  aliis  illud  ;  quia  Corpore  in  uno 
Frigida  pugnabant  callidis,  numentia  siccis, 
Mollia  cum  duris,  sine  Pondere  habentia  Pondus. 
Hanc  Deus  et  melior  litem  Natura  diremit  : 
Nam  Casio  Terras  et  Terris  abscidit  undas  ; 
Et  liquidum  spisso  secrevit  ab  Acre  Coelum. 
Quae  postquam  evolvit,  csecoque  exemit  acervo. 
Dissociata  locis  CONCORDI  PACE  ligavit. 

OVID  NASOX,  Metamorp.,  Fab.   1. 


NOTES.  555 

NOTE  4. 

The  visible  intellectual  and  created  species  of  things,  are  pictures, 
images  and  representations  of  the  invisible  archetypal  and  increated 
species  of  things  in  the  mind  of  the  Supreme  Being. 

CHEYNK'S  Philosophic  Principles,  Prop.  ix. 

,  NOTE  5. 

There  must  of  necessity  be  some  principle  of  action  in  intellectual 
beings,  analogous  to  that  of  attraction  in  the  material  system,  and  that 
is  the  principle  of  reunion  with  the  Supreme  Infinite.  —  Ibid.  Prop, 
xviii. 

NOTE  6. 

Charity,  or  the  love  of  the  Supreme  Being,  and  of  all  his  images, 
is  the  necessary  effect  of  this  principle  of  reunion,  when  fully  ex- 
panded and  set  at  liberty.  —  CHEYNE,  Prop.  xix. 

NOTE  7. 
Omnes  eodem  cogimur.     Vide  HOKAT.  Carm.,  Ode  iii.  Lib.  ii. 

NOTE  8. 

Passions  like  elements,  though  born  to  fight, 
Yet  mix'd  and  soften'd  in  his  work  unite  ; 
There  'tis  enough  to  temper  and  employ, 
But  what  composes  man  can  man  destroy  ! 
Suffice  that  reason  keeps  the  middle  road, 
Subject,  compound  them,  follow  her  and  God. 

POPE,  Essay  on  Man,  Epist.  ii.  Lib.  iii. 

NOTE  9. 

The  question  has  often  been  asked :  Why  the  ladies  may  not  be 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  the  Craft  ?  The  reason  here  offered 
is- the  true  one,  and  it  may  be  relied  on  that  no  other  disqualification 
is  supposed  to  exist,  but  such  as  they  themselves  would  readily 
acknowledge  the  validity  of. 

The  trowel,  hammer,  and  hod,  are  by  no  means  adapted  to  female 
use.  The  carrying  of  mortar  and  bricks  for  the  building  is  the  proper 
employment  only  of  that  sex  whose  constitutions  are  fitted  for  labor 
and  fatigue  ;  and  the  precepts  of  our  art  are  such  as  to  be  of  little  use 
unless  applied  to  practice. 


556  LIFE    OF    DR.    JOHN    WARREN. 

NOTE  10. 
Oration. 
Polybius.  —  Hist.,  Lib.  6,  p.  628. 

NOTE  ll. 

Aristotle  thinks  there  is  not  any  one  virtue  belonging  to  the  sub- 
jects of  a  despotic  government.  —  Polit.,  Lib.  1. 

V 

NOTE  12. 

A  multiplicity  of  rigorous  penal  laws  is  not  only  incompatible 
with  the  liberty  of  a  free  state,  but  even  repugnant  to  human  nature. 
—  MONTESQUIEU. 

NOTE  13. 
Cicero  de  Oflic. 

NOTE  14. 
Gordon's  Sallust,  p.  41. 

NOTE  15. 

It  was  the  victory  over  the  Persians,  obtained  in  the  straits  of 
Thalamis,  that  corrupted  the  Republic  of  Athens,  and  the  defeat  of 
the  Athenians  ruined  the  republic  of  Syracuse.  —  MONTESQUIEU'S 
Spirit  of  the  Laws,  vol.  i.  p.  163. 

NOTE  16. 
Peace  is  the  natural  effect  of  Trade.  —  MONTESQUIEU,  vol.  ii.  p.  2. 

NOTE  17. 
Vide  Present  State  of  Europe,  p.  24. 

NOTE  18. 

Luxury  is  always  proportional  to  the  inequality  of  fortune.  — 
MONTESQUIEU,  vol.  i.  p.  137. 

NOTE  19. 

China,  the  richest  and  most  populous  commercial  empire  of  the  uni- 
verse, was  subdued  by  a  handful  of  poor  Tartars.  — MONTAGUE,  on 
Republics,  p.  377. 

NOTE  20. 

Countries  are  not  cultivated  in  proportion  to  their  fertility,  but  to 
their  liberty. — MONTESQUIEU,  Spirit  of  Laws,  vol.  i.  p.  388. 


NOTES.  *  557 

NOTE  21. 

The  Spaniards,  since  the  discovery  of  the  American  mines,  have 
been  constantly  declining. — MONTESQUIEU'S  Spirit  of  Laws,  vol.  i. 
p.  64. 

NOTE  22. 
On  Republics,  p.  339. 

NOTE  23. 

The  surest  way  of  instilling  into  children  a  love  for  their  country 
is,  for  parents  to  set  the  example. —  MONTESQUIEU'S  Spirit  of  Laws, 
vol.  i.  p.  49. 

NOTE  24. 

The  people  will  never  fail  to  pursue  right  measures  for  the 
security  of  their  liberties  if  they  are  but  rightly  informed ;  and  it  is  a 
pleasing  consideration,  that  the  means  of  education  and  the  promotion 
of  the  sciences,  are  so  generally  the  object  of  public  attention  in  these 
rising  confederated  States. 

NOTE  25. 

Vide  Sir  William  Temple's  observations  upon  the  United  Prov- 
inces of  the  Netherlands,  p.  261. 

NOTE  26. 
Present  State  of  Europe,  p.  500. 

NOTE  27. 

They  have  no  corrupt  or  corrupting  court,  no  blood-sucking  place- 
men ;  no  standing  army,  the  ready  instruments  of  tyranny,  no  ambition 
for  conquest,  no  luxury,  no  citadels  against  invasion  and  against  lib- 
erty, their  mountains  are  their  fortifications,  and  every  householder 
is  a  soldier  ready  to  fight  for  his  country.  —  Political  Disquisitions, 
vol.  iii.  p.  410.  Quot.  Voltaire. 

NOTE  28. 

The  great  increase  of  our  commerce  after  the  peace  of  Utrecht 
brought  in  a  vast  accession  of  wealth  ;  and  that  wealth  revived,  and 
gradually  diffused  that  luxury  through  the  whole  nation,  which  had 
laid  dormant  during  the  warlike  reigns  of  William  and  Anne;  to  this 
universal  luxury,  and  to  this  only,  we  must  impute  the  amazing  prog- 
ress of  corruption  which  seized  the  very  vitals  of  our  constitution.  — 
MONTAGUE  On  Republics,  p.  376. 


558    "  LIFE    OF   DR.    JOHN   WARREN. 

NOTE  29. 
Vide  Political  Disquisitions,  passim. 

NOTE  30. 
Vide  ABBE  RAYNAL'S  History  of  British  Settlements,  vol.  ii. 

NOTE  31. 

It  ever  was,  and  ever  would  have  been  the  policy  of  Great 
Britain  had  this  country  continued  under  her  government,  as  much 
as  possible  to  suppress  our  manufactures.  One  of  her  writers  speak- 
ing of  the  colonies,  says :  They  will  certainly  set  up  those  manufac- 
tures with  which  we  now  supply  them,  and  thereby  deprive  us  of 
those  advantages,  we  are  entitled  to  reap  from  their  establishment, 
but  it  is  to  be  hoped  the  Parliament  of  England  will  keep  a  watchful 
eye  over  our  plantations,  in  regard  to  a  matter  of  such  important  con- 
cernment to  this  kingdom.  —  POSTLETHWAYT'S  Diet,  of  Commerce, 
Art.  Colonies. 

NOTE  32. 

Nothing  more  strikingly  demonstrates  the  folly  of  a  commander 
than  his  really  undervaluing  the  prowess  of  an  enemy.  Fabius 
thought  highly  of  the  abilities  of  Hannibal  and  made  his  dispositions 
accordingly. 

NOTE  33. 

When  Rome  had  arrived  to  her  highest  pitch  of  grandeur,  it 
was  the  associations  formed  behind  the  Danube  and  the  Rhine  — 
associations  formed  by  the  terror  of  her  arms  —  that  enabled  the 
Barbarians  to  resist  her.  — -  MONTESQUIEU,  Spirit  of  Laws,  vol.  i.  p. 
184. 

The  Canaanites  were  destroyed  by  reason  they  were  petty  monar- 
chies, that  had  no  union  nor  confederacy  for  their  common  defence. 

Ibid.  vol.  i.  p.  185. 

NOTE  34. 

Twelve  brave  men  under  the  conduct  of  Cleomenes,  broke  loose 
from  their  prison,  spread  horror  and  destruction  through  one  of  the 
most  populous  cities  in  the  universe,  and  not  finding  the  inhabitants 
courageous  enough  to  oppose  them,  they  unanimously  perished  by 
their  own  hands.  —  PLUTARCH,  Vit.  Cleom.,  p.  822. 

NOTE  35. 

It  is  a  general  rule  that  taxes  may  be  heavier  in  proportion  to  the 
liberty  of  the  subject,  and  that  there  is  a  necessity  for  diminishing 
them  in  proportion  to  the  increase  of  slavery. 

MONTESQUIEU,  vol.  i.  p.  305. 


NOTES.  '559 

How  much  these  states  enjoy  advantages  superior  to  Great  Brit- 
ain, with  respect  to  the  payment  of  their  public  debt,  is  sufficiently 
obvious. 

NOTE  36. 

Queen  Elizabeth  of  England  offered  her  favor,  protection  and 
assistance  to  the  United  Provinces,  whilst  they  were  contending  for 
their  liberties,  and  the  grateful  remembrance  of  her  friendship  was 
frequently  in  the  mouths  of  all  sorts  of  people,  and  still  continues  to 
the  present  day. 

Vide  SIR  WILLIAM  TEMPLE'S  History  of  the  United  Provinces,  p. 
68. 

NOTE  37. 

It  greatly  redounds  to  the  honor  of  these  states,  as  well  as  that  of 
their  great  General,  that  whilst  the  British  have  four  or  five  times 
changed  their  commander-in-chief,  the  same  has  continued  at  the  head 
of  the  American  forces  through  the  whole  war ;  has  this  been  the 
case  because  amongst  our  enemies  it  was  more  difficult  to  find  a  vir- 
tuous man,  or  because  the  government  under  which  they  held  their 
places  was  more  factious  and  corrupt  ?  The  long  continuance  of 
the  Hannibalic  war,  in  which  the  Carthaginians  maintained  their 
ground  above  sixteen  years  against  the  whole  force  of  the  Romans,  is 
imputed  to  the  annual  change  of  generals  amongst  the  latter,  whilst  the 
former  were  constantly  commanded  by  the  same  extraordinary  man. 

NOTE  38. 

The  British  Standards  taken  by  the  allied  armies  at  York  and 
Gloucester,  were  presented  at  the  feet  of  Congress. 

NOTE  39. 

Vide  last  paragraph  of  the  Oration  delivered  March  5th,  1775,  on 
the  anniversary  of  the  Boston  massacre. 

NOTE  40. 

I  cannot  here  forbear  mentioning  to  the  honor  of  this  people,  the 
recovery  of  whose  liberty  has  in  its  circumstances  been  so  nearly  con- 
nected with  our  own,  the  most  astonishing  act  of  bravery  perhaps 
ever  exhibited ;  an  army  under  Donagh  having  been  greatly  reduced 
by  previous  actions,  was  under  the  necessity  of  engaging  the  King  of 
Ossory,  with  a  vast  superiority  in  the  number  of  his  troops  ;  the  sick 
and  wounded  insisted  on  accompanying  their  General  to  the  field  ; 
after  many  fruitless  efforts  to  dissuade  them  from  this  resolution,  it 
was  agreed  that  they  should  be  tied  to  stakes  drove  into  the  ground, 


560  LIFE   OF  DR.    JOHN   WARREN. 

that  they  might  be  supported,  and  in  their  weak  state  prevented  from 
falling.  An  effective  man  was  placed  on  each  side  ;  the  mangled 
soldiers  having  tented  their  wounds  with  moss,  were  placed  at  their 
stations,  began  to  brandish  their  swords  and  prepare  for  the  desperate 
combat  —  a  sight,  however,  that  struck  such  horror  into  the  minds  of 
the  enemy,  that  they  unanimously  refused  to  fight  them  !  —  WINNE'S 
History  of  Ireland,  vol.  i.  p.  177. 

NOTE  41. 

A  chief  of  the  Canadians,  to  whom  an  European  nation  proposed 
their  ceding  their  patrimony,  replied  :  "  We  were  born  upon  this 
land,  our  fathers  were  buried  here ;  can  we  say  to  our  fathers'  bones, 
rise  up  and  come  with  us  to  a  foreign  land?  " — VOLTAIRE'S  Philoso- 
phy of  History,  chap.  7. 

NOTE  42. 

When  once  a  state  has  struggled  through  many  and  great  dif- 
ficulties, and  emerged  at  last  to  freedom  and  wealth,  men  begin  to 
sink  gradually  into  luxury  and  to  grow  more  dissolute  in  their  morals. 
—  MONTAGUE  On  Republics,  p.  362. 

NOTE  43. 

Baron  de  Montesquieu,  speaking  of  Carthage  and  Rome,  says 
they  were  alarmed  and  strengthened  by  each  other;  strange  that  the 
greater  security  those  states  enjoyed,  the  more  like  stagnated  waters 
they  were  subject  to  corruption.  —  Vol.  i.  p.  164. 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Adams,  Samuel,  elected  Lieutenant-governor         .        .        .        334 

Adams,  Dr.,  son  of  Samuel  Adams 22 

pupil  of  Jos.eph  Warren       ......          22 

surgeon  in  the  army          .......      22 

letter  to  Dr.  Warren 157 

his  death 159 

Alliance  between  America  and  the  Court  of  France  .  .  177 
American  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences  chartered  .  .  .239 
Armies,  English  and  American,  strength  of  .  .  .  .  129 
Army,  American,  want  of  harmony  in  the  .  .  .  .123 

Arnold,  Benedict,  his  friendship  for  General  Warren     .         .          87 
his  treason       .........    218 

Baltimore  Mob,  The 465 

Baldwin,  Cornelius,  letter 134 

Bartlett,  Dr.  Josiah,  letter 101 

Bastile,  its  destruction         ........  335 

Bladensburg,  battle  of .  493 

Bonaparte  at  the  head  of  affairs  in  France         ....  386 

news  of  his  abdication  received 491 

its  effect ^.        .        .  491 

Boston,  evacuation  of  by  the  British 69 

put  into  a  state  of  defense         .         .         ...         .         .77 

Boston  Dispensary  established         .....  17,236 

Boston  Memorial  in  favor  of  Jay's  treaty    .         .         .        .         .367 

Boston  Medical  Society  formed       ......  222 

Bowdoin,  Mr.,  elected  Governor  of  Massachusetts  .  .  .  302 
Buckminster,  Rev.  J.  S.,  the  pastor  and  intimate  friend  of  Dr. 

Warren .         .  440 

his  death         .........  440 

Bunker  Hill,  battle  of     .        . 44 

Bunker  Hill  Monument,  corner-stone  laid          ....  264 

Burgoyne's  army  lay  down  their  arms 166 

36 


562  INDEX. 

Burr,  Aaron,  his  unscrupulous  character  pointed  out  by  Ham- 
ilton    ...         .         . 422 

kills  Hamilton  in  a  duel 423 

indignation  against  him  .......  423 

conspiracy  of        ........  425 

its  object 425 

Carnes,  T.  J.,  letters 147,153 

Chamblee,  news  received  of  its  capture  by  the  French    .         .          60 

encouraging  to  the  Americans 60 

Chesapeake  and  Shannon,  engagement  between  .  .  .  467 
Cheverus,  Bishop,  held  in  high  esteem  by  Dr.  Warren  .  .  446 
Church,  Dr.  Benjamin,  appointed  Director-general  of  the  army 

hospitals 51 

detected  in  a  treasonable'  correspondence        .         .         .51 
Cincinnati,  Society  of  the,  formed  .         .         .         .         .        266 

opposition  to  it 266,  267 

Cochran,  Dr.,  Director-general  of  hospitals  ....  138 
Collins,  Miss,  becomes  a  member  of  General  Mifflin's  family  .  160 

excites  the  interest  of  Dr.  Warren       .        .        .        .        161 

becomes  his  wife      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .167 

Constitution  and  Guemere,  engagement  between  .  .  .  471 
Continental  money,  result  of  the  depreciation  of  .  .  197-204 

sermon  upon  the  subject 208-213 

communication  from  Dr.  Warren  relating  to   .         .         .    214 
Convention,  resulting  in  the  formation  of  the  State  Constitu- 
tion of  Massachusetts        .         .        .         .         .         .        216 

Cornwallis,  surrender  of     ........    245 

Craigie,  Dr.,  letters  to  Dr.  Warren  .  .  .  120,147,174 
Cutting,  Dr.,  letters  to  Dr.  Warren 145,  169 

"  Dark  Day "       • .        215 

Declaration  of  Independence .88 

Democratic  Societies  oppose  the  measures  of  Washington      .        341 

Diseases  of  New  England 477-489 

Dispensary  practice,  its  advantages    .         .         .         .  17 

Dysentery  in  the  army  .......          78 

Embargo  Act,  passed 429 

speech  against  it  by  Dr.  Warren  429 

its  repeal 433 

England,  difficulties  with,  in  1793 357 

statement  of  the  grievances  against  ....  365 

Eustis,  William,  pupil  of  Joseph  Warren       .  24 


INDEX.  563 

Eustis,  William,  continued. 

appointed  surgeon  in  the  army  .  >  •  •  .24 
letters  to  Dr.  Warren  .  .  25,  105,  128,  150,  187,  218,  228 
governor  of  Massachusetts 25 

Feron,  Monsieur  J 242,  416 

Finances,  American,  in  a  deplorable  condition       .         .        .         193 

Fisher  Ames  supports  Jay's  treaty 365 

Fort  Lee,  abandonment  of  .         .         .         .        .         .         128 

Foster,  Dr.  Isaac,  letter 134 

France  irritated  at  the  ratification  of  Jay's  treaty  .  .  .  380 
hostile  measures  towards  America  .....  380 
extraordinary  mission  to  ......  381 

demand  of  the  Directory 385 

preparations  for  defense  against  .....         386 

convention  concluded  with      .         .         .         .         .         .386 

Freemasonry,  its  objects  stated       .         .         .         ...          264,  265 

French  fleet  sail  from  Toulon  for  America         .         .         .         .177 

its  objects  defeated  by  an  encounter  with  the  English  fleet       178 
French  revolution 336 

Garnall,  Dr.  O.  W.,  letter .         .         .         '.        .         .         .        .129 
Genet,   ambassador  from  the   French   Republic,    arrives    in 

Charleston 339 

received  with  enthusiasm         .         .         .         .         .         .341 

his  efforts  to  force  the  United  States  into  a  war  with 

England  .  341 

his  recall .    342 

Gerry,  Elbridge,  letter  to  Dr.  Warren 131 

governor  of  Massachusetts  .        .         .         .         .         .         434 

"  Gerrymanders  "  the  State  ....      433,  434 

Giles,  Ag.,  letters        .  112,  154 

Glover,  Samuel,  letter    .         .         .        .         .        .         .        .         118 

Grafton,  Mr.,  letter  to  Dr.  Warren 90 

Grafton,  Miss,  correspondence  with        .         .  52,  64,  80,  94,  100,  102 
Greene,  Gen.,  letter  .         .         .     • 136 

Hall,  Abiel  L 347 

Hamilton,  Alexander,  his  ability  and  wisdom     .         .         .         .422 

killed  by  Burr  in  a  duel 423 

Hancock,  John,  delegate  to  Congress  from  Massachusetts  53 

first  Governor  of  Massachusetts 297 

declines  a  reelection  in  1784 297 

returned  to  office  in  1787          .                          ...  329 


564  INDEX. 

Hartford  Convention 508-505 

Hay  ward,  Dr.  Lemuel         .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .65 

Holton,  S.,  letter     .  ' 201 

Hull,  Gen.  William,  commands  an  expedition  against  Canada       463 
its  disastrous  result      .         .         .    *    .         .         .         .         463 

Inoculation  introduced  in  Boston        ......    403 

Jay,  John,  Minister  to  England  .  .  .  .  .  .362 

negotiates  a  treaty 363 

opposition  to  it 365 

its  ratification  ........  365 

Jefferson  elected  President 413 

Lafayette,  Marquis  de,  a  volunteer 1 78 

Lawsuits  in  Massachusetts  in  1782 271 

Lechmere  Point,  engagement  at          .         .         .         .         .  .61 

Ledyard,  Isaac 126 

Lee,  General,  his  delay  in  assisting  Washington        .  '      .  .132 

taken  prisoner      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  132 

Long  Island,  battle  of .  .99 

bravery  of  the  American  troops  at                .         .         .  103 

depressing  effects  of,  upon  the  army        .         .         .  .113 

upon  the  medical  corps         .         .         .         .         .         .  113 

Lovell,  James,  imprisoned  by  General  Howe     .         .         .  .     1 24 

released 124 

elected  delegate  to  Congress   .  ' 125 

averse  to  the  policy  of  Washington      .         .         .         .  1 25 

Lundy's  Lane,  battle  of .491 

McKnight,  Dr.  Charles,  letter 106 

Masonic  charge       .........        521 

Massachusetts,  great  military  preparations  in     .         .         .         .    144 

Massachusetts  General  Hospital  founded        ....        238 

Massachusetts  Humane  Society  formed      .....    233 

Massachusetts  Medical  Society  incorporated  .  .  .  244 

Medical  incidents  ...  .....  452-455 

Medical  students,  duties  of  . 14,  15 

Mifflin,  Colonel,  aide-de-camp  to  General  Washington  .  .159 
Militia,  desertion  of,  after  the  battle  of  Long  Island  .  .  1 04 
Morgan,  Dr.  John,  appointed  director-general  of  the  hospitals  .  60 

letters  to  Dr.  Warren  61,99,  109,  110,  111,  113,  115,  116, 

127,  137 

endeavors  to  reform  abuses  in  his  department      .         .        120 


INDEX.  565 

Morgan,  Dr.  John,  continued. 

hastily  removed  by  Congress 135 

Mount  Defiance  taken  possession  of  by  the  English        .         .        154 

Naval  action  between  the  Constellation  and  LTnsurgente  .         .  385 

Naval  successes       .........  490 

New  Orleans,  battle  of 507 

Norwood,  Dr.  Jonathan,  letter  to  Dr.  Warren         ...  23 

Oration  by  Dr.  Warren      .         .         .        .         .         .         .         .531 

Peace,  provisional  treaty  of,  signed  with  England  .         .        .  265 

treaty  of,  concluded  at  Ghent, 507 

news  received  with  joy         .         .         .         .         .         507-510 

«  Perkins'  Points  " 342 

Perpetual  motion 458 

Perry's  victory  on  Lake  Erie     .......  491 

Public  debt  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution       .        .         .         .  270 

Putnam,  General,  begins  an  entrenchment  on  Cobble  Hill          .  61 

Resuscitation  of  a  convict  after  execution       ....  231 

Rhode  Island  taken  possession  of  by  the  .British         .         .  .160 

Rhode  Island,  operations  against,  determined  on  by  Congress  178 

prove  successful       .         .         .         .         .        .         .  .187 

Riot  in  Northampton 273 

Russell,  Thomas,  eulogy  on         .         .         .        .         .         .  .377 

St.  Clair,  General,  evacuates  Ticonderoga       ....  156 

pursued  by  a  detachment  of  Burgoyne's  army          .         .156 

Scollay,  Miss,  intimate  friend  of  General  Warren  ...  87 

Selfridge,  Thomas  C.,  shoots  Austin 427 

Shays'  Rebellion 274 

Shippen,  Dr.,  appointed  director-general  of  the  hospital     .        .  141 

Shippen,  Dr.  Thomas  Lee 257 

Slavery  in  Massachusetts 319 

terminated  in  1783       .                  319 

in  Rhode  Island 323 

Slave-trade,  period  fixed  for  its  termination   ....  326 

Small-pox  prevalent  in  Boston  in  1764 21 

produces  great  alarm  in  1792        .                 .         .         .  349 

inoculation  for 83 

Solemn  League  and  Covenant         .         .        .         .        .        .  27 

Spontaneous  generation,  theory  of  .         .         .        .         .457 

State  Convention  in  Boston  to  ratify  the  Federal, Constitution  325 


566  INDEX. 

Strong,  Caleb,  elected  Governor  of  Massachusetts      .        .        .435 

Tea  thrown  into  Boston  harbor      .......          27 

Thacher,  Dr.  James 50 

his  opinion  of  Dr.  Warren  ......  50 

Throg's  Neck,  attack  on 108 

Ticonderoga  menaced 1  52 

dissensions  at  .         .         .         .        .        .         .         .         .154 

Tory  plot  discovered  in  New  York  .  .  .  .  79 

Townsend,  Dr.  David,  letter 199 

Tryon,  Governor,  implicated  in  the -Tory  plot  ...  79 

Turner,  Dr.,  surgeon-general  to  the  northern  department  .  .  189 
Tyler,  Daniel,  letters  to  Dr.  Warren 29-31 

Vaccination  in  Boston 403 

regarded  with  incredulity 404 

Valley  Forge,  hardships  of  the  troops  at        .         .         .         .         176 

Warren,  Dr.  John,  his  birth  and  parentage        ....  1 

his  love  of  country 2 

death  of  his  father          .......  4 

his  knowledge  and  lo«ve  of  the  Scriptures     ...  7 

hatred  of  injustice 7 

his  education                 i         ......  11 

commences  the  study  of  medicine 12 

settles  in  Salem 13 

attachment  between  him  and  his  brother  Joseph     .         .  20 

his  interest  in  public  affairs 27 

letter  to  the  mechanics  of  New  York       .         .         .         .31 
letter  to  his  brother  Joseph          .         .        .         •         .  36 
extracts  from  his  journal,  relating  to  the  battle  of  Bun- 
ker Hill '                .         .         .44 

his  indignation  against  the  British  ministry  .     .         .  48 

offers  himself  as  a  volunteer 50 

appointed  surgeon  of  the  hospital  at  Cambridge           .  50 

letter  to  John  Hancock            . 53 

suggestions  to  Hancock  concerning  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  army     .         .         .'-"-.         .         .         .     53-59 

deposition  in  relation  to  poisoned  medicines    .         .         .  '  74 

sets  out  for  New  York          ......  78 

correspondence  with  General  Washington       .         .     141-143 

leaves  the  army    . 149 

marries.  Miss  Collins 167 

partnership  with  Drs.  Rand  and  Hay  ward           .        .  1 75 


INDEX.  567 

Warren,  Dr.  John,  continued. 

volunteers  with  the  Rhode  Island  expedition  .         .178 

birth  of  his  first  child          .         .  .         .         .        179 

familiarity  with  the  ancient  tongues        .         .        .         .191 
address  to  the  executive  of  Massachusetts  on  the  condi- 
tion of  the  hospital  .         .         .         .         .         .        193 

letter  to  Timothy  Pickering 205 

commences  a  course  of  anatomical  demonstrations     .        225 
his  interest  in  the  invention  and  perfection  of  life-boats    236 
becomes  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of  Arts 
and  Sciences        .         .         .        .        .  .  .        .    239 

elected  professor  in  Harvard  College  .  .  .  253 
chosen  Grand  Master  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Free 

Masons        .  261 

his  ability  as  a  lecturer        ......        284 

address  in  relation  to  the  election  of  governor         .         .297 

domestic  life 303 

his  taste  for  gardening   .         .        .         .         .        .         .    304 

description  of  his  house  and  furniture          .         .         303-315 
his  opposition  to  slavery  and  the  slave-trade  .         ...    319 

speech  on  the  proposition  to  impose  higher  dnties  and 

greater  restrictions  on  English  products  .        .        .        357 
sorrow  at  the  death  of  Washington          ....    389 

his  large  family    .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .409 

domestic  cares 409-412 

his  house  in  Jamaica  Plain         .....        414 

death  of  a  child  by  scarlet  fever      .....    421 

birth  of  his   youngest  child         .         .         .         .         .        424 

speech  against  the  Embargo  Act     .....    429 

his  religious  views       .        .         .         .  .         .        443 

prominent  characteristics         .....     447-450 

his  last  illness       ........        512 

death       ..........    515 

funeral  ceremonies       .         .         .        .        .        .        .516 

Warren,  Ebenezer,  brother  of  Dr.  John  Warren       .  8,  85,  108 

Warren,  Joseph,  father  of  Dr.  John  Warren         ...  1 

his  piety  and  love  of  country 1,  2 

killed  by  a  fall  from  a  tree          .....  5 

Warren,  General  Joseph   ........        8 

his  successful  treatment  of  small-pox  .  .  .  21 
presides  at  the  meeting  of  the  colonial  congress  .  .  22 
his  free  and  liberal  disposition  .....  34 

at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill 43 

his  death  47 


568  INDEX. 

Warren,  General  Joseph,  continued. 

burial       ..........      74 

provision  made  by   Congress  for  the  maintenance  and 
education  of  his  children          .         .         .         .         .          87 

appointed  Grand  Master  of  Masons  for  the  continent  of 

America 261 

Warren,  Mrs.  Mary,  mother  of  Dr.  Warren,  her  strong  relig- 
ious faith          ........  5 

Warren,  Samuel,  brother  of  Dr.  Warren 8 

his  peculiar  habits        .......  8 

War  of  1812       .         . 460 

its  unpopularity  in  the  Eastern  States  .  .  .  462 
War  declared  by  France  against  England  ....  339 

Water  of  Boston,  analysis  of 417 

Webb,  Joseph,  Grand  Master  of  Masons        .        .        .        .262 

Washington,  General,  arrives  at  Cambridge         .        .        .          51 
unreasonable  clamor  against    .         .         .         .         .         .125 

military  dictator  .         .         .         .         .         .         .138 

letter  to  Dr.  Warren .142 

bold  movement  of 139 

and  Lincoln,  comparison  between 165 

causes  of  disaffection  against  him         .         .         .         .        177 

his  visit  to  Boston  in  1 789 335 

takes  command  of  the  army  against  the  French  .         .        385 

death .389 

universal  sorrow  felt  at  the  death  of  .  .  .  .  391 
Washington,  city  of,  captured  by  the  English  .  .  .  .495 
Willow  bark  introduced  into  the  pharmacopoeia  ...  59 

Yellow  fever  in  Philadelphia,  in  1793 351 

its  terrible  severity 351 

reappearance  in    1798 392 

in  Boston  in  1796  and  1798 353 

in  1802  and  1829 401 

its  local  origin 401 


3  1970  00592  3807 


